māndāra flower ［曼陀羅華］ (;  mandara-ke): Also, māndārava flower. A flower said to bloom in heaven. It is fragrant, and its beauty delights those who see it. The Sanskrit term mahāmāndāra (also mahāmāndārava) indicates great or large māndāra flowers, a distinct kind of flower in Buddhist scriptures. In Buddhist sutras, māndāras and other heavenly flowers rain down from the heavens when a Buddha preaches or when other wonderful events occur. The māndāra flower is one of the four kinds of flowers said to bloom in heaven, the other three being the great māndāra flower, the manjūshaka flower, and the great manjūshaka flower. See also manjūshaka flower.