ANCIENT/ VEDIC TOWN PLANNING CONCEPTS INCLUDING

VASTU PURUSHA MANDALA

Vastushastra- Ancient Indian Science of town planning and
technology

Ancient Hindu Shastras and Canonical Texts:-

Vedic culture, an evolutionary process to establish the man in relation to the universe-
the Worlds in the space and time, where both space and time are synonyms of the mind
by the art of the consciousness. Climate
c
Factors which make
place for habitation
VEDA origins from Human
Deity
c Soil
c
the word VID- to Habitation
know.
c
Water
Vedic approach considers the orientation, symmetry, proportions and the system of
doors and windows, helping in the harmonization of energy fields in a given architectural
space, to be in consonance with the minds, material and bodies of dwellers.
Refined assembly of architectural morphology of forms and patterns, construction and
visual details
Vastushastra has its roots in all Upveda and in Vedas, Vedanganas, Upanishads which
developed over a period of 4000 years since the time of Rig Veda.
The Shrities, the Sutras, the Smrities, the Epics, Agamas, Jatak Katha, literature of
Kalidas, Arthashastra, Kautilya and Bhrugu samhita and Varah Mihar- earlier sources
dating from the period 3000 B.C.-6A.D.
 The main texts of south Indian or Dravidian schools are:-
I. Manasara
II. Mayamata
The main texts of North Indian or Aryan schools are:-
I. Samarangana Sutradhar
II. Aparajita Praccha
III. Rajavallabha
Manasara, most perfect one having elaborate and exhaustive details, chiefly for temple or
sacred architecture and for town planning, according to the Hindu ideals and is referred as a
standard of work by the South Indians.
Mayamata or Maya-shilpa whose author is Divine Maya or the architect of the Asuras.

MAYAN- the great scientist of India

Whatever he was able to create in visual terms, be it a sculpture, building or a town or city
layout, they behaved like living organisms and pulsated with life.
He was called the Viswakarma of the material world, and sometimes, the Viswakarma of the
celestial beings and their abodes
Identified and quantified the vibrancy of the space enveloping the Earth and the heavenly
bodies and also dwelling in each of the objects of nature.
Enunciated a theory that architecture is the zenithal achievement of mathematics, which in
turn has its roots in Time and Space.
 Vedic Philosophy and the foundation of Indian Civilization
Very humble and modest shelters were made of leaves, branches, reeds, bamboo;
mud and straw conditioned by the climate and the material themselves were fabricated
into the simples forms
Stone, brick and wood were used to attain permanency, dominancy and importance for
temples, palaces and forts.
Dwellings-rectangular or square or round in shape-resting on a hard leveled platform
had sloping roof as covering material.
The five social grades partly based upon race and partly upon occupation, where the
four recognized VARNAS, known as the pure classes- the Brahmins, Kshatriyas,
Vaishyas and shudras and a fifth class comprising the offspring of inter marriages not
recognized by the Aryan law.
These Five people of the Aryan community represented the five elements of the
universe and each had a part of the village assigned to it symbolizing a small division of
that universe, making the complex whole.
Nuclear type Linear type Brahmins
Co

Shudras
Co Co
Society Vaishyas

Bachelors
dormitory Kshatriyas
Co
Basic patterns of grouping
Semi-permanent dwelling
 North Street
The fortified camp of the Aryans was a rectangular
enclosure with its four sides facing the four quarters, divided
into four wards by the two main streets, which crossed each
other in the center and terminated at the four ends by four Rajmarga
principal gates.
There were four subsidiary gates near the corners of the Mangalavithi
villages so that the whole circumference of the walls was
divided into eight- The Eight Fold Path. Plan of an Indo Aryan village

According to Kautilya Northern gate to Senapati or

Arthashastra. Kartikeya the War-God

Western gate was

Eastern gate, the starting point of the
dedicated to the setting
circumambulatory rite was dedicated
sun, or to the Yama, the
to Brahma, the Creator represented
Lord of Death.
by the rising sun.

Southern gate, symbolized the sun at

noon, was dedicated to Indra the
Vedic god who ruled the firmament
during the day
Fundamental Canons of Architecture
Stapathya Veda
Includes climate, available materials, building methods of the period, geographical conditions
and prevailing styles and also includes detail knowledge of both the human physiology and the
cosmos.
Dynamic system of architecture that ever changes to precisely match the current cosmic
conditions
Timeless architecture
It is living designed in harmony with the cosmos.
Vedic architect known as sthapati finds the relationship between the owner and the
cosmos and will try to reflect that relationship by choosing the right orientation, proportion
and placement of functions with ancient formulas.
Vastu Shastra finds its origin in the Stapathya Veda, a part of the Atharva Veda, one of the
four main tenets of ancient Indian society.
Result oriented field to assure harmony with the universal rhythm of creation, resulting in
health, wealth, prosperity and wisdom and much more to members of society.
Legend has it that Lord Brahma passed on this knowledge to Lord Shiva, who in turn passed it
on to Sage Viswakarma and there onwards, it has been carried down to the generations.
Vastushastra in the Vedas
Based purely on the effect of sunrays during different times of the day.
Proofs of Vastushastra can be found during the time of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Since
the science goes far back to the times of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna there are many
interesting mythological stories concerning the origin of Vastupurush (the deity).
 Culture
Evolution Pattern and Design
Vastu means proper place to live in.
Life requires basic elements i.e. air, fire(light),
water, earth and space.
Climate Town Planning It is rational: Vastu is the study of impact of
& Architecture Resources
Suns rays on the earth. It reads the
characteristics of a house and explains its
effects on the residents in a scientific manner.
Symbolism It is permanent: Principals of Vastu are based
on directions, which are permanent.
It is beneficial: Basic purpose of Vastu is to
make the life's of people happier and problem
free
It is universal: As it is based on the properties
of the earth and the sun, it is surely universal.
It is practicable: Very simple to follow.
According to Vaastu, there are 5 basic
elements in the whole world. They are the
Earth, Water, Air, Fire(Heat & Light) &
Sky(Cosmic).
In a broader sense Vastu is a science of
directions and it accounts for 8 directions:
North, South, East, West, Northeast, Northwest,
Southeast, South west.
Response To Built Space:
In Vaastu three principles of design cover the entire field of design, be it a building, craft item or
article of daily use.
1) Bhogadyam (Function): The designed product must be useful, lend itself to easy application.
2) Sukha Darsham (Aesthetics): The designed product must be aesthetically pleasing. The
proportions of the spaces and material shape should affect the viewer in a positive manner.
3) Ramya(Experience): The designed product must be capable of evoking a feeling of well being
and contentment in its user. The measurements employed in the design, considered to be
sacred measures, are juxtaposed in such a way as to create harmony in all those who occupy
the space or use the object.

Fundamentals and Objectives of Vastushastra:

Natural Environment and Symbols: The lotus is significantly symbol for explaining form and
aesthetics in Indian tradition.
Orientation: Geographical directions play a very significant part in the design of individual
buildings and group housing. Many mythological stories speak of the hero walking to the east to
find a teacher, running to the south to confront death, setting off towards the west in search of
adventure, or walking to the north to become a healer.
Cosmology: Any given physical space can be perceived in its connection with primary energies.
The eight directions, the heavens and the earth are considered significant influences on growth
and prosperity.
Colour: Traditionally there were only 5 colours (panchvarna), namely red, yellow, green, blue,
and white. Black was also used, but only to enhance the other colours. Traditional colours were
made of natural materials and possessed certain properties that were intrinsic to the material.
 Shapes: The most experimented ones are square, triangle, polygon, rectangle, circle, ellipse,
oval and the free form. These forms are analyzed according to their suitability for human use.
Some lend themselves better to physical use than others, some create spiritual well being,
others add to the energy levels. For each of these shapes, ayadi or beneficial measure calculation
can be made, and specific patterns of interactions built up based on the pattern of the interior.
Mandala or Mandalam: It is a representation of the cosmos through geometric forms whereby
the living space is laid out in a variety of patterns. The outer circle(or square) of the Mandala
holds the gate keepers, the inner the form less energies. The movement inward is a re-entry and
rediscovery of the true spirit, and the outward movement a constant quest into the interface and
relationship with the world outside.

Raksha chakra or the Astrological tim

cycle superimposed on the
Vastupurusha mandal.
Space

Air

Fire

Water

Earth
The five basic elements on which Hasta a unit of measurement
Vastushastra is based on
Vastu Purusha Mandala
Signifies the emergence of primordial space and spatial forms, from out of the primordial
energy, held as the ultimate and the absolute.
Vastu Purusha is all pervasive is signified in the spreads and folds of various limbs within the
square plot.
There are two basic types of Vaastu Purusha Mandala, one of 8x8=64 squares and another of
9x9=81 squares. The former one is called Manduka Pada and the next one Paramasayika or
Chandita Pada.

The Padas are also interpreted

as consisting of concentric
square belts going round the
central core called the
Brahmasthanam or Brahma
Adam
32 types of Vaastu Mandala
ranging from 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, Brahmasthanam
4x4. 8x8, 9x9. 31x31,
32x32 and they are classified
under two categories one of Deivikapadam
even numbers and the other of
odd numbers. Manushapadam Vaastu Purusha Mandal of 81
squares- Paramasayika Or
Chandita Pada
Paisachikapadam
Energy Levels:-
The Romans oriented all the buildings in their villages, towns, cities and roads with respect to
the 2nd Global Bio Electro Magnetic Field (BEM) grids.
Used Maximus Cardo for N-S direction and Maximus Decumanus for E-W directions.
In ancient India, both the 2nd Global and 2nd Diagonal were used in the concept of the eight
dishas, for the orientation of temples with respect to residential areas.
In Indian subcontinent there are cyclic variations in the telluric BEM grids but these have a
fixed pattern, and these patterns match the exact concept of kaal and ghadi, i.e., 8 ghadis from
sunrise to sunset and 8 ghadis from sunset to sunrise, each ghadi being of 1 hours duration.
Lecher antenna and the Biometer are the instruments for measuring the various energy fields,
a scale developed by a French man, Antonie Bovis, and his colleague Andre Simonton.
Bovis is the unit considered to measure the energy levels.
0 Bovis represents no energy.
6,500 Bovis is the normal human, physical body energy.
6,500-16,000 Bovis are the energies of different chakras of the body.
These energy axes of the body are dependant on 3 sources of energy that animate them:
1) The Sun (from sunrise to sunset)- Ida Nadi.
2) The Moon (from moonrise to moonset)- Pingala Nadi
3) The Earth (24hrs)- Sushmna Nadi
Supra- Individual Sahsrara
Soma
Manas
Ajna
Visuddhi
The Swastika used by Hitler has a terribly
Individual Anahata`
low energy level of 1,000 Bovis.

Manipura
Svadhisthana
Muladhara
Swastika or the satya has a formidable
Chakram or subtle energy points in the human body positive energy lvl of 10,00,000 Bovis.

The subtle relationship that exists between the

orientations (dishas) and the different types of
energy radiations that relate to energy axes in
our body, is the key understanding the
relationship between energy fields of man and The swastika in reverse has the same
buildings. energy level as in satva, but is totally
negative.
Standardization of Village & Town Form:-
It was a contribution from the Shilpa Shastras.
The Varnasrama-Paribhaga, made it possible to divide the village into various zones.
Viswakarma Vastushastra describes 12 types of villages according to their characteristics.
Manasara classifies the villages into eight types according to their shape, the method of
street planning and the method of fold and temple planning.

Large Town unit with Dwellings,

Basic form of a town
Commercials & Rajmargs
DANDAKA:-
This village resembles a staff as the name suggest and follows a ribbon development along the
principal streets.
It is a rectangular or a square and possesses a rampart of the same shape.
It consists of one to five parallel streets and two more streets may be planted at right angles at
both extremities of the above parallel streets.
A third transverse street crosses them from the middle and the width of the street varies.
The middle street being broader than the others (rajamarg).
The two transverse streets at the extremities have a single row of houses; the principal or the
central streets are lined with a double row of houses.
The offices of the village officers and of the village panchayats should be located in the eastern
portion of the town.
SARVATOBHADRA:-
The village is either oblong or square and may be divided into inter chambers after Manduka
mandala or sthandila mandala.
In the centre of the village the temple dedicated to the triad- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva will be
situated.
The no of streets varies from one to five with a boulevard going around the village.
The village was divided into zones by road forming the spheres of Brahma, of the gods, of the
humans and of the demons respectively.
The internal streets are lined with a single row of houses while the double row of houses
ranges the outer streets.
SWASTIKA:-
The town resembles the mystic figure of Swastika.
The site is divided into Paramasayika mandala.
Two main streets shall run E-W ad N-S in the middle.
The branch streets shall follow the pattern of Swastika.
PRASTARA:-
This type of village resembles a couch.
The village is either square or oblong in form.
It has three roads running E-W and several roads numbering 3-7 running N-S.
It is divided as to form the mystic figure of Paramasayika, Manduka or Sthandila.
Within the outer boundaries, the space is divided into 4,9 or sixteen wards by a network
of an appropriate no of roadways.
In the wards again the roads are planned in chess-board pattern
Every ward is divided into an equal size of plots by means of branch roads.