Vastupurush Mandala

STUDY AND APPLICATIONS OF VASTUPURUSH MANDALA

The word vaastu is derived from ‘Vas’ which means ‘to reside’. It is not equivalent of the word architecture, but a lot more. Vastu Shilpa Shastra finds its origins in Sthapatya Veda (Science of Architecture- A part of the Vedas written by the settler Aryans, in the post Indus Valley Civilization days). It is said that Mayan, the great scientist, architect and town planner was responsible for the basics of vastu shastra dating somewhere between B.C. and 5000 B.C. to a harmonious life and According to Vastu a structure is full10,000 of life force. Vastu purports seeks equilibrium. We are surrounded by energy fields that get distorted when a structure is built and thus need to be restored. When this is achieved in a proper manner, a harmonious flow of energy permeates the building.

VASTU AS RELIGION

Vastu is NOT a religious scripture but a scientific one which is followed religiously. The sheer blindness of man has led to vastu shastra to be used in wrong, deceiving means. Religiously speaking, the spirit of the house was called the Vaastu Purusha and different cardinal directions and sectors were assigned to different Gods like Brahma, Ishwara, Agni, Varun, Wind, Yam and Demon, since the waves flowing in a particular direction have a specific influence.

TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS VastuVASTU as said before is a science, and is based upon climatological observations and takes OF

into account the five vital elements of nature, namely- Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space. These elements influence all life forms and vastu teaches us to balance these harmoniously in order to get the perfect dwelling.

VASTU DESCRIBED ACCORDING TO SCIENCE (1) EARTH (Bhumi): - The Earth element enters your home through the southwest and to a lesser extent in the west and southeast. The Southwest should be closed as much as possible and have maximum weight. A deficiency of the earth element is strengthened by weighing down this area with heavy furniture, tall trees, fences, garage, storerooms etc. (2) WATER (Jal): - Water bodies in the northeast are considered auspicious, and to a lesser extent in the north and west. This is the direction of purity and divine. The northeast of your plot/building should always be clean, light and tidy. Wells, tubewells, swimming pools etc. should all be in the northeast. Toilets or the flow of sewer systems should be towards Northwest. (3) AIR (Vaayu):- The air element should enter the building from northwest, and to a lesser extent in the north and west. A blocked northwest leads to various health, movement and relationship problems. All the openings and media for air entry such as doors, windows, ventilators coolers, air-conditioners, verandahs, balconies etc. should be in this direction. (4) FIRE (Agni): - The direction of Fire is southeast, and to a lesser extent in the east and south. The Kitchen, fireplace, heaters, boilers etc. should be placed only in this direction. The Southeast corner of every room should have a fire element such as TVs and computers. (5) SPACE (Aakash): - The space element enters the premises through the

VASTU DESCRIBED ACCORDING TO RELIGION Many Vastu rules are derived from 'Vastu Purusha Mandala' which is depicted as a man lying with his head pointing north east, in a grid of usually 64 squares. The different directions and sectors are assigned to different Gods and Guardians.

(1) Orientation of Plot and Building - The axis of the plot and the building should run parallel to the main directions. There is a technical procedure by which the cardinal points are ascertained for the orientation of the buildings. The following main influences of Vastu the should bePurusha taken into account: (2) Siteplanning: Vastu Mandala - It is the metaphysical plan of a building/temple/site that incorporates the course of the heavenly bodies and supernatural forces. In accordance with the position occupied by the Gods in the mandala, guidelines are given for zoning of site and distribution of rooms in a building. (3) Proportional Measurements (Mana) - In the Vedas it is stated: If the measurements and the proportions of a building is perfect, the universe is perfect. The adherence of mana in Vastu is extremely important and can be divided into 6 categories: Height, width, circumference, measurements of connecting lines, thickness, and interspace. 1:1 Peace 1:1.25 Strength, wealth, perfection 1:1.5 Joy 1:1.75 Health

(4) The six formulas of Vedic Architecture- There are six main component part of the building : Aadhistaana (Base), Stambha (Column), Prastara (Entablature), Karna (Wings), Shikhara (Roof), and Stuupi (dome). (5) The character and aesthetics of buildings (chanda) - Chanda (beauty) main refers to the structural aspect of a building and its rhythmical disposition. Each brick and each building unit is filled with rhythm, it is a charged and obtains a compelling weight and shape in the hands of the builder.

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONSJAIPUR CITY

The town of Jaipur is built in the form of an eight-part “Mandala” known as the “Pithapada”. The city was divided into nine blocks, of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge fortification walls were made along with seven strong gates for the purpose of security of the city. The layout of Jaipur is rectangular, not exactly square and there is not a central square as such. This evidence reveals that the city must have been planned on a mandala with unevenly divided sides The city was planned according to Vastu Shastra. The directions of each street and market are east to West and North to South. The Eastern gate is called Suraj (Sun) Pol, while the Western gate is called Chand (Moon) Pol.  There are only three gates facing east, west, and north including the Northern gate (known as Zorawar Singh gate) which faces toward the ancestral capital of Amber. The extension to the town on the southeast corner the plan is very typical of the vastu purusha mandala. For example, the wall around the main square, the avenue running from east to west, the palace in the central pada, and nine padas of equal size. 

a- Conceptual Plan b- Effect of Topography c- Final Plan

CITY PLAN

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONSVastu Tips for Living Room HOUSE PLANNING

•The East and North are best directions for living room. •The furniture should be square or rectangular. •Air-conditioner or cooler should be placed in West direction, not in South-east. •Portraits of women, animals, birds, scene of war should never be displayed in living room. •A painting showing depression should not be placed on a wall. •The door of living room should be in east or north direction •Windows in east and north are beneficial Vastu for Dining Room •Dining room should be located in west direction whereas kitchen should be made in south-east direction. Water arrangement should be in north-east direction. •Electrical appliances like fridges should be in south-east direction. •Ceiling lights should fall vertically and mainly focus on the surface of dining table •Window should be placed in north or east side as compared to south or west side. •If the house is located in north direction, the entrance should be in north direction. Tips for Vastu Bedroom •As a general rule of vastu, south-west corner of bedroom should not be left empty. Always keep heavy things, furniture etc. in this portion in every room. •South-west side of the house and of all rooms inside the house should always be heavier than the East and north-east side. Maximum open space should be left in north-east side of the room and house. •Nobodys bedroom should be exactly in the middle of the building. •Some buildings do not get proper east-west and north-south directions. They have corners only. In bed rooms of such buildings, for getting the proper direction, one should not put his bed in an oblique position. •As far as possible, the almirah should not be in the bedroom. If it is necessary, it should be placed in a way leaving the south-east, the north-east, the south-west and the northwest corners as well as the east and the north directions.

Location of Pooja Room: North-east is an excellent location for Pooja room. Pooja room in north quadrant provides good results. Special pooja’s can be performed in Brahmasthana (center of house). Vastu Tips for Bathroom and Toilet •It should not be located in east, north or northeast direction. •It should not be in northeast and center place of the house. •It should not be near kitchen and under the stairs. •If a change room is built in bathroom, it should be in South or West direction. •The mirror should be on northern or eastern wall. •The door should not be in south-west direction. •Washing machine can be placed in south-east and north-west direction directions Vastu for Kitchen •According to Vastu Shastra, the lord of ‘Agni’ (Fire) prevails in south-east direction. So ideally the kitchen should be located in south-east of the home. •Entry door of kitchen should be in the East, North or West. The door of kitchen should not be in any of the corners. •The gas stove should be in southeast corner, a few inches away from the wall. Gas stove or any other cooking material should be placed in such a way as allows the cook to face only towards the East while cooking. If the lady faces west while cooking, it may lead to health problems. •Gas Cylinder should be kept in south-east. •Heaters, conventional ovens, micro-waves ovens should be placed in south-east or south side of the kitchen; never in northeast portion. •Sink (wash basin) should be in north-east corner as far as possible. •The water source including pitcher, water filter, etc. may be kept in north-east. •There should be one or two windows or air holes in the east direction of the kitchen. An exhaust fan in the East is good. Vastu Tips to Create an Effective Enviornment in Study Room: •The room to be chosen for study should be in the East , North or the North-East direction of the house. •Ensure that your child sleeps with his head towards East or South. The head towards east helps in learning whereas the head towards south helps in maintaining magnetic balance of the body or earth. •Place computer in south-east of the room. •Make the room noiseless. The study room should not have any noisy toilet on the floor above or below the room. •Do not let the child study under a beam.

CONCLUSIONS It can be seen from all the principles that are important to the nbuilding that there is an underlying bioclimatic intention. Also that all the rules are based on shading south and west, also personifying these directions as the house of devil, or in other words misfit for human dwelling. This gives an idea that the people responsible for this work were living in a warm climate where shading the southwest was the main issue. The principles of modern day architecture have become personal ego, visual aesthetics and social acceptance, unlike the environmental concern as in the Vedic architecture. The use of the mandala is just one of many examples of how a culture's worldview and religion influences the organization of social space. 

REFERENCES • PDF- Advanced Vastu (only as a study guide) http://www.aifas.com/books/SaralVastuShastraEnglish.pdf • Smita Gupta, 1995, Vastu Shilpa Shastra: the ancient Indian, bio-climatically responsive science of building, S.B.S Publishers, 2-4 pp • PDF- Vastu, 5-7, 11-13 pp http://www.soul-indulgences.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/09/Vastu.pdf • Webpage- Analysis of the Mandala and Town Planning in Jaipur, India http://capasia.iweb.bsu.edu/II/Jaipur01.html • Webpage- JAIPUR ON THE PRINCIPLE OF VASTU SHASTRA http://www.jaipur.org/city/jaipuron-the-principle-of-vastu-shastra.html • Webpage- Vastu for Home http://jasseehomes.hpage.co.in/vastu-for-home_49125511.html