Mayamata and Building Construction (study)
by Ripan Ghosh | 2024 | 61,593 words
This page relates 鈥楳easurement of the Rafter (Lupa)鈥� of the study dealing with Mayamata鈥攁n ancient Indian architectural treatise dealing with building construction (bhavana-nirmana). It forms part of 鈥淰astuvidya鈥�: a stream of Sanskrit technical literature encompassing village and town planning, temple architecture and other aspects like site selection, orientation, and structural arrangements aimed at promoting harmony and prosperity.
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Part 4.2 - Measurement of the Rafter (L奴pa)
[Full title: Pr膩s膩dordhva-varga (Making procedure of the roof) (2) Measurement of the Rafter (L奴pa)]
尝奴辫补蝉 or rafter is a particular type of structural element, extended from the ridge beam or hip to the wall plate. 尝奴辫补蝉 supports the roof deck design.
P.K. Acharya thus illustrated this technical term鈥�
鈥淎 sloping and projecting member of the entablature etc. representing a continued pent roof; it is made below the cupola and its end are placed as it were suspended from the architecture and reaching the stalk of the lotus 产别濒辞飞.鈥�[1]
痴腻蝉迟耻惫颈诲测腻, another treatise of ancient architecture mentioned the following verse鈥�
atha sa峁僰shipya vak峁膩mo lup膩n膩峁� lak峁na峁� vaya峁� | (痴腻蝉迟耻-惫颈诲测腻 10.1)
[鈥淣ow we shall concisely explain the characteristics of the 濒奴辫补蝉.鈥漖[2]
Number of rafters:
As per Mayamta rafters can have series of either odd numbers or even numbers. So, there should be five, seven, nine and eleven numbers of rafters in the series or it may contain four, six, eight and ten. Both of the series can be used for the human and divine dwelling.
Dimensions of the rafters:
Making of the rafters to roof construction is an important mathematical task. In this work, a square should be marked between the distance of two consoles and the width of the rafter should be calculated by half part from this distance. The four lines of this square are called as-ka, 耻峁ａ箛颈峁, 腻蝉补苍补 and 蝉墨尘补.
A parallel line (蝉奴迟谤补) is to be drawn below the 腻蝉补苍补 from the equal distance of the consoles and architrave (uttara). Then this 腻蝉补苍补 line should be divided into four, five, six, seven, eight, nine or ten parts depending on the total number of rafters. As a result when the 腻蝉补苍补 line is divided into by even numbers, the number of 濒耻辫腻蝉 should be calculated in an odd number, and when the 腻蝉补苍补 line is divided by odd number, the 濒耻辫腻蝉 must be in even number.Thereafter, a line should be drawn from the intersection points of ka and 耻峁苍颈峁 that goes down upto edge of overhanging eave. The length of the rafter should be measured from the intersection points of ka and 耻峁ａ箛颈峁 up to extreme point corresponding to this rafter. The other equivalent rafters can be arranged also from the ka line and measured with the corresponding hypotenuse going up to the eave.
Classification of rafters:
Five categories of rafters found in our present text. They are鈥�
But the text 惫腻蝉迟耻惫颈诲测腻 records two kinds of rafters. It is stated that:
lup膩n膩峁� 辫谤补办峁泃颈bh膩ge鈥檖yantargamanam墨rita峁� |
kotibh膩ge tu gamana峁� lambas奴tr膩t vahirgata峁� ||
(痴腻蝉迟耻惫颈诲测腻 10.21)It means鈥攐ne 辫谤补办峁泃颈濒耻辫腻, arranged in the middle of the structure, resembles the 尘补诲丑补濒奴辫补 rafter. Another rafter is 惫颈办峁泃颈濒耻辫腻, which may resemble the off-center (碍辞迟颈濒耻辫腻) and intermediate rafters (Madhykar峁嘺, 腻办补谤峁嘺, and anukoti).
So, according to 惫腻蝉迟耻惫颈诲测腻 the rafters could be of two types, viz., 辫谤补办峁泃颈 and 惫颈办峁泃颈. Dagens designated 辫谤补办峁泃颈l奴pa as the 惭补诲丑测补濒奴辫补, and the other 濒奴辫补蝉, i.e 办辞迟颈濒耻辫腻, 尘补诲丑测办补谤峁嘺, 腻办补谤峁嘺, and anukoti as the 惫颈办峁泃颈l奴pa.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
P.K. Acharya, A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture, series.1 p.53
[2]:
Translated by the researcher