Essay name: Architectural data in the Puranas
Author:
Sharda Devi
Affiliation: Himachal Pradesh University / Department of History
This essay studies ancient Indian architectural science as found in technical treatises and the Puranas, with special reference to the Matsya, Garuda, Agni and Bhavishya Puranas. These texts detail ancient architectural practices, covering temple and domestic designs, dimensional specifications, and construction rules.
Chapter 2 - What is Vastu
1 (of 52)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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CHAPTER II
WHAT IS V膧STU OR V膧STUPURUSAMANDALA?
The word v膩stu is derived from the Sanskrit dhatu, vas which means 'to
live'. So, v膩stu艣astra is the science which deals with the layout of the site.
and the building to be constructed. It also gives elaborate details about the
construction of townships, palaces and complexes. The main objective of
this 艣膩stra is to make humanity live in harmony with Mother Nature. This
艣膩stra was given to us by the Maharsis. V膩stu is further explained as the
living space (vas means 'to lie' or 'to live') or dwelling space. V膩stu is the
individual site or land identified for a village or neighbourhood, V膩stu is
also the building enclosure. In practice, the individual site is known as
v膩stu and the built form is known as pras膩da v膩stu (building) enclosure.虏
V膩stu is from root vas which means to dwell and to cover.鲁 The M膩nas膩ra
defines v膩stu as residence of god and man.4 The K膩mik膩gama uses
vim膩na, pr膩s膩da, bhavana, g峁沨a v膩stu, v膩stuka, k峁tra, sth膩na,
sadma etc. as synonyms. 5 The Mayamatam points out that bh奴mi (earth)
is considered to be vastu because it is the underlying stratum of
existence.6
3 The I艣膩na艣ivagurudevapaddhati states that the body of v膩stu is
vastu." Since vastu denotes concrete real things also, it has been treated
as a shelter built of concrete things meant for divine or human beings.8
