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The majority of the Vastu and Silpa-Sastras, either of the Nagara or Dravida School; are revealed to Vishwakarma by Lord. Siva 107 or Brahma 108 or Visnu 109 Vishwakarma's antiquity is referred to in the Rgveda. 110 And as per our earlier tradition of Vedas and Brahmanas, Vishvakarma really represents the working aspect of the Supreme principle, as Brahma does the thinking aspect. Creator Brahma could evolve only a manasi: srsti. To give it shape and lay it properly, in one word, to plan it beautifully, was the work of an architect-acarya and Visvakarma was there to fulfil the mission. Visvarkarama is like Brahma, four-faced. From the four faces were born Vishwakarma, Maya, Tvastr and Manu, the progenitors of the four families of the architects namely Sthapatis (masterbuilders) Sutragrahins, ( draftsmen ), Vardhakis (designers) and Taksakes (Carpentars) respectively. 111 This is the ontology. of the science in the context of its origin and premordial preceptors. the same way a lack of learned tradition also has brought a decay in the art of exposition of such an important branch of learning and research. The readings of many of available mss. are corrupt and unnitelligible and therefore it cannot be a reliable guide to the stundents of Indian architecture and sculpture for an adequate understanding of the subject matter. However, some attempts have been made to prepare a critical and reliable editions of certain works with the help of available manuscripts. 107. V. P. 1~3~4; Agni Purana XCIX; the treatises of Maya, Kasyapa, Manasara etc. 108. V. P. XIII. 108; Br. Sam. and Isanasivagurudevapaddhati. 109. Meter P. 110. Rigveda V. X. 72. 111. Manasara II, vv. 5-20.

262 The Structural Temples of Gujarat The Ramayana accepts Visvakarma as the architect of the Gods and Maya, the architect of the Asuras. It is stated that Visvakarma revealed the Sthaptya Veda. 112 In the Mahabharata, Visvakarma is said to have been the "master of thousand arts, the Vardhaki (carpenter) of the Gods and superior to all architects." He also constructed the chariots of the Gods. Men earned their livelihood by practising the arts invented by him and offered worship to Visyakarma 113 He constructed the Sabha of Vaivasvata 114 and a town for the Gods, besides a statute, a necklace and wheels of the chariots, for them. According to the Matsya Purana, Vishvakarma  was the son of Prabhasa, 115 who was the last of eight Vasus, The mother of Visvakarma was the sister of Bhrgu. The eight-Vasus were mostly workers in different branches of art, Visvakarma thus naturally has imbibed skill in craftmanship from his father's sjde. Vishwakarma's connecton with Bhrgu by his mother's side, was also no less responsible for the high state of excellence in craftmanship peculiar to the family of Bhrgus, 116 Thus both his parental and maternal relationships contributed in equipping him with a rich heritage. He was endowed with consummate skill in fine arts, architecture, sculpture, painting including both their constructive as well as decorative aspects. The Agni Purana calls him the creator of thousand Silpas (crafts), The Garuda Purana also places him among the prominent Silpis of Gods. The Siva Purana (ch. LIII) has given an interesting and lengthy account of the origin and the geneology of Vishwakarma, Shri P A. Mankad on the basis of this account has very ably 112, Rama 隆V. 51. II. Kiskindha Kanda chts. XLI, XXXV; XLII, XLIV; XLIII, XXI. 113. MBH I. 66. 29-31. 114. lbid. II, 8. 1. 115. Meter P. ch. V. 27-28. He was born of Vasu the second daughter of Daksa Prajapati, given in marriage to Dharma. 116. In the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics E. Sieg. explains the word Bhrgu as a term for craftman specially working with fire.

Sources of Architectural Canons 263 and laboriously attempted to formulate a theory that Vishvakarma formed a connecting link between the Sumarian civilization on the one hand and the Narmada valley culture on the other. 117 Works Ascribed to Visvakarma. The works attributed to Visvakarma are as follows:- 1. Aparajitapraccha. 118 2. Ksirarnava. 119 3. Jaya-prcchadhikara, 120 4. Visvakarma-mata.12 1 - 5. Visvakarma-prakasa 122 also known as Vastu-sastra. 193 6. Visvakarmiya-Silpa-sastra. 184 6 117. Vide P. A. Mankad's Introduction to Aparajita praccha. p. lxxxix. 118. Auf. C. C. Vol. II p. 4, quoted by Hemadri in Parisesa Khanda 2, 660-662, 819, published in G. O. S. No. CXV (1956) Edited by P. A. Mankad. In this work Visvakarma is attributed as 'Bhuvandevacarya.' A work of similar title and nature termed as Aparajita-Vastusastra' is available. The MS. of it was in possession of Manishanker Bhatt, Surat. (Catalouge of Sans MSS contained in Private libraries in Gujarat, Kathiawad, Kaccha, Sindh & Khandesha, 1872 p. 276 No. 1) An another work termed as Aparajita-prabha or Visvakarma Samhita is also available (Auf. C. C. Vol. III p. 5.) 119. Auf. C. C. II, pp. 26, 138. Copies of MSS having 19 to 23 chapters of this work are found with certain silpis of Gujarat. Four copies of this MSS are in my private collection. Five copies of this MSS (Nos. 8265 (a), 3588, 3589, 11007 and 8287) are in the collection of Oriental Institute, Baroda. 120. Auf. C. C. II, p. 41; MS. No. 6857. in the Oriental Institute, Baroda. 121. Auf. C. C. II. p. 138, quoted by Hemadri in Parisesa Khanda (2, 817, 825, 827, 828). 122. Egg. MSS p. 112 a. It is published without any commentary at Benaras, in 1888; with commentary by Sri Venkatesvara Press, Bombay (V. S. 1952). 123. Auf. CC. II. p. 134. 124. Oriental MSS Library Madras, Catalogue, Vol. XXII No. 13057, p. 8775.

264 7, Silpa granth. 195 The Structural Temples of Gujarat 8. Visvakarma-Vastusastram. 126 9. Vastu samgraha.127 10. Vastuvicara, 128 11. Hasta-pramana.12 9 12. Diparnava.130 13. Vrksarnava. 13 1 14. Rekharnava. 132 15. Jnana-ratna-Kosa, 13 3 125. Egg. MSS 3152, 1603 b (Written in modern Devanagari). It is almost identical to Aparajitapraccha. 126. Auf. C. C. II, 134; MS. no. 13727+13728 in the collection of Oriental Institute, Baroda. This is the only work which contains a commentary. Recently it is published in Tanjore Sans. Series. No. 85 (1958) edited by K. Vasudeva Shastri and Major N. B. Gadre. It is appearently a text belonging to the School of Southern India. 127. Auf. C. C. I. p. 568. 128. Catalogue of Sans. MSS in N. W. P. 1885, p. 56. The MS. is in possession of Gaurinatha Shastri, Benaras 129. The work is on architecural measures. 130. Auf. C. C. III, p. 123. Recently, with Gujarati Commentary it is published by Shri P. O. Sompura (1960). Fragments of some of the chapters in MSS form are also in my private collection. 131. P. O. Sompura, Diparnava, Introduction p. 41. 132. P. A. Mankad. Preface to Aparajitapraccha p. iii & introduction to lbid p. xlvii. 133. Auf. C. C. 1, p. 210. Catalogue of Sans. MSS contained in the private liabraries of Gujarat etc. 1872, p. 276. A copy of it was in possession of Acharatlal Vaidya of Ahmedabad. Another copy is with Shri P. O. Sompura. Some chapters in MSS form on different subject of Vastu Vidya ascribed to Visvakarma are also found in Gujarat. In the collection of MSS in the Oriental Institute Baroda there are such works. e. g. Pancasanmandapa Nirnaya (no. 10 + 62(b)), Prasada Karanajnana Karika (no. 8273), Vastuvidya (nos. 1990 (a) 11073).

Sources of Architectural Canons 265 In the chapters on prasada Laksana in Brhatsamhita Varahamihira (A. D. 505-587) quotas the opinion of Vishwakarma. 136 So it may be safely said that the works of Visvakarma were highly esteemed by the scholars by the beginning of the sixth century A. D. However, it is difficult to ascertain his authority of the extant works ascribed to him. It is possible that some of them may have embodied the old traditions of Indian architecture. But the works in their present form available to us hardly seem to belong to belong to the early centuries of the Christen Era. Probably they were written after the end of the first millennium, even after the Samarangana-Sutradhara written in the 11 th Cent. A. D. Accordingly they seem to have been composed by some later writer or writers, possibly on the basis of some old sources. They may, therefore, be regarded to be as good as anonymous.