Chakra 1 of 7 · Root Chakra
Muladhara — मूलाधार
मūla (“root”) + ādhāra (“support, base”) — the foundation the whole system is said to rest on.
Location: Base of the spine, between the anus and the genitals.
Element: Prithvi (Earth)
Sense: Smell
Bija mantra: लं (laṃ)
The yantra at its centre
A yellow square (representing Earth's stability) with an inverted triangle inside it, and eight small spears pointing outward from its sides and corners.
Deity and Shakti
Every chakra below Sahasrara is traditionally described with a presiding deity and a goddess (Shakti) specific to that centre.
Presiding deity
Classical sources genuinely disagree here: some Tantric texts name Brahma (shown as a child) as the presiding deity, others name Ganesha, and still others Indra. This isn't a case of one source being “right” — the tradition itself contains multiple parallel accounts.
Shakti — Dakini
Described as red-eyed and fierce, holding a spear and a skull-cup — the guardian and doorkeeper of this centre.
Vahana (vehicle)
The elephant Airavata — in some depictions shown with seven trunks, symbolising heavy, grounded, unstoppable strength.
Worth knowing
The Muladhara is where Kundalini — the coiled, dormant energy of Tantric physiology — is traditionally said to lie asleep, wound three and a half times around a subtle pillar (svayambhu linga) at its centre.
How this fits the wider system
Muladhara is the first of the seven chakras in the system popularised by the 16th-century Shatchakra Nirupana. See the full seven-chakra overview for how all seven relate to each other, including which parts of the popular modern chakra system (like the rainbow colour scheme) are much later additions rather than classical tradition.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Muladhara mean in Sanskrit?
मūla (“root”) + ādhāra (“support, base”) — the foundation the whole system is said to rest on.
Where is Muladhara traditionally located?
Base of the spine, between the anus and the genitals.
Is Muladhara a scientifically recognised body part?
No — like the other chakras, Muladhara is a concept from traditional Tantric and Yogic literature, not an anatomical structure recognised in modern medicine.