Some researchers argue that the similarity of the mandala's iconography to Chinese and Korean funeral monuments, together with the gauze fabric on which it was originally stitched, indicate that it is not in fact a Buddhist artefact.
Beberapa peneliti berpendapat bahwa kesamaan ikonografi mandala dengan monumen pemakaman Tiongkok dan Korea, bersama dengan kain kasa di mana ia mulanya dijahit, menunjukkan bahwa ia sebenarnya bukan artefak Buddhis.