On the construction of the \textit{Śrī Yantra} (Q2034739)

The Śrī Yantra, a sacred object of Hinduism, is an ancient planar geometric figure of high visual appeal that is used in yoga meditation. Its geometric core can be described as a collection of nine isosceles triangles with common axis of symmetry that are subject to a number of geometric constraints. As traditional Śrī Yantras evade a formal definition, these constraints can only be imposed by inspection and are thus somewhat arbitrary. This fascinating article features a brief history of Śrī Yantras and of attempts for its non-trivial geometric construction, ranging from traditional and moderately modern approximate constructions using straightedge and compass, including exact constructions with weakened constraints, and ending with algebraic formulations and their numeric solutions. Given the shear number of construction attempts, it is a remarkable that the author can present a provably exact straightedge and compass construction of Śrī Yantras. It is based on the reduction of the problem to the determination of circles from one point, one tangent straight line and one tangent circle -- a classical problem of Apollonius'. Using geometric arguments to eliminate spurious solutions, the author provides an involved but still quite manageable procedure to obtain Śrī Yantras without ever leaving the realm of constructible numbers.