365bet娱乐

TOWN PLANNING The art of town-planning and the planning of a house as detailed in the Puranas is very interesting and valuable. The Agni Purana (Ch. 106) speaks of the foundation of the city in detail. The vayu Purana gives instructions for town planning in Chapter 8. In the Matsya Purana (Ch. 255) we get information about the situation of a house. The allotment to the members of different castes and the different parts of a settlement is also described in Chapter 253 of the Matsya Purana. In the Brahmanda Purana, Chapter 7, we have the village Planning and town planning with respective measurements for roads, streets, lanes, by-lanes which reminds us of the description in the Artha sastre of Kautilya. The Agni Purana gives an account of laying out of towns and cities with particular reference to the location of temples consecrated to various deities. While describing it the Purana states, "A plot of land or ground measuring eight or four miles, should be enclosed with walls. The ground should be divided into interlinear chambers as laid down in the case of a Vastu-mandala. There should be four gates on four sides. The low roofed rooms on each side of the gate, should be made to extend over a considerably large area, and the gates should be six cubits wide so as to admit elephants and other large animals. A city should not be founded on plots of ground lying remote from one another, nor should it be so built as to have an angular or a semicircular aspect. A city resembling a Vajrasuci in shape or which can be reached by two or three ways should be held as inauspicious. The 38

143 forepart of a city built in the shape of a bow or Vajranga 39 should be reckoned as the most auspicious. The goldsmiths' shops and smithy shops should be established in the south-eastern quarter of a city. To the south thereof, should be the habitations of those who live by giving lessons in dancing together with the houses of courtesans, while actors, potters and fishermen should occupy the south-western quarters of the same. The houses of Brahmanas, monks and other holy personages should be in the northern quarter of the town while merchants and dealers in fruits should reside in the south eastern division of the latter. The Generals and Commanders of forces should have quarters in the east. The physicians should have their respective dwellings all round the city and likewise the elephants and forces should be quartered in a way so as to 40 defend it in all directions. According to the Vayu Purana, a city probably require 1 x 1 Yojana for its area, a town (kheta) covering half its area and a village (grama) half the area of the town. The boundary of a village or town should extend to two Arosas around it. The roads leading to various directions from village or town should be twenty Dhanus wide and across the boundary line should be ten Dhanus wide. The street leading to the king's palace (Rajapatha) should be ten Dhanus wide and it should provide easy passage for men, horses, chariots and elephants. The other streets should be four Dhanus wide,

144-> the lanes and bylanes (Uparathyah and Uparathyakan) and the paths joining the buildings with the streets should also be four Dhanus vide. The Purana refers to the Ghanta-patha. Dr. D.R.Patil is of opinion that it probably refers to a 41 village high-way. It should be four padas wide being The Vrttimargas should be one half pada wide and the Pragvaisa one pada. In the next verse we are told that the 'avaskara' and 'parivaha' should be one pada vide. Parivaha probably means separated from the buildings by three padas. the drainage. The Then there is a mention of four kinds of durgas. first three kinds of durgas are protected by Nature. The fourth kind of durga is an artificial (Krtrima) fort. It is distinguished by a rampart that runs round it. It has only one gate known as the Svastika end has a Kumaripura in it. The ditch in front of it is eight, nine or ten hastas deep and wide. 43 In ancient Indian town-planning different parts were allotted to different castes. A piece of land possessing certain properties was thought to be specially suited to a particular caste. The colour and taste of the land are taken into consideration. The plot which is white, red, yellow and black in colour is recommended for the four castes in a descending order. The Matsya Purana also a signs the sweet taste to the Brahmanas, pungent taste to the Ksatriyas, sour taste to the Vaisyas and astringent to the sudras. In case the signs were not clear some superstitious methods were resorted to. An earthen lamp containing four wicks in the

- 145 four quarters was kept in the plot. That plot is recommended for the caste in whose quarter the wick burns longest. If all the four wicks burn equally long, the site was called 'Samuhika' and was fit for the houses and temples of the four castes. 44 The Brahmanda Purana prescribes that the square type is the best for town (4).45