It is not the equivalent of the word architecture. Vastu is architecture and much more. While architecture is the science, art, or profession of designing and constructing buildings, etc.,
Like many of our traditions, Vastu too got neglected over the centuries for want of patronage; hence the present society could not very much appreciate and utilize this science in their construction of houses, shops, offices, and industrial complexes. If construction is not according to the principles of VASTU then the thinking and action of the people dwelling or working in these places are not harmonious and evolutionary; leading to disorder & illness.
If the various activities in a house, shop, office or industry are directionally channelized as per principles of Vastu, we begin to draw power from nature in a natural way.
The Shastra is being gradually applied not only in Houses but also in Commercial buildings and industries, where the client's stakes are high. For example, Vastu assigns the kitchens, chimneys, Furnace, boiler, etc. to a certain corner on the basis of wind directions to prevent the smoke and cooking fumes from flowing into the living/working area and affecting the health of the residents/ workers.
Thus there is a great need for the Architects and Vastu Engineers to coordinate; since an Architect can build a posh house but can't assure happy life to the people living in that house, whereas Vastu -science assures peace, prosperity, and progress to the owner as also the inmates. This happy admixture of ancient heritage and modern science can go a long way in reviving this edifice science.
Vastu's current revival may be confined to human dwellings, but the scope of the shastra, also known as Sthapatya-Veda extends to temple design, econometric, town planning & civil engineering as well.
Most well-known temples in South India like Lord Venkateswara Temple at Tirupathi, Meenakshi Temple at Madurai, etc. are Vastu -perfect. In terms of the entire city, Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in accordance with Vastu Shastra.
Fundamental Principles of Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra is essentially an art of correct setting whereby one can optimize maximum benefits of the Panchbhutas (five elements) of nature, earth's magnetic field and the rotational influence of the sun, moon and the other planets surrounding the earth, It has laid down several principles for constructing buildings. The fundamental principles of Vastu Shastra are applied in constructing buildings such as houses, commercial complexes, industry layouts, towns, temples, etc. There are five basic principles on which the great edifice of the Vastu science of architecture stands.
They are:
(1) The Doctrine of orientation
(2) Site Planning
(3) The Proportionate measurement of building
(4) The Six canons of Vedic architecture
(5) The Aesthetics of the building
• The Doctrine of orientation.
In Indian thought, the cardinal directions hold a particular significance. The various associations are given to the eight cardinal directions (northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, northwest, and north) to help elucidate the orientation principles of Vastu Shastra (Chakrabarti, 1998, pp. 101-102).
The theory of orientation of buildings is secular as well as ecclesiastical, as laid down by Indian designers of structures, which consists in setting them in such a way that they may get maximum benefits from solar radiation. The fixing of cardinal points thus occupies a prominent place in Vastu Shastra.
• Site planning (Vastu-Purusha-Mandala).
Vastu Shastra lays down various guidelines for choosing the proper site (Patra, 2007). It emphasizes strongly the examination of the soil, size, shape, taste, color, smell, and vegetation features of the land. If the plot of land is found to be satisfactory on all these criteria, then it is selected for the purpose of building a house, village, industry, town, fort, etc. After the selection of land, the blueprint of Vastu-Purusha-Mandala is provided for the grid that facilitates the inception of the design, and in addition to being the 'architect's square pad', where the concepts crystallize, each of its lines and divisions holds within its layers of meaning within which the intricacies of design unfold
Vastu-Purusha-Mandala is considered a model of the Universe and provides the basis for architectural design. It is a metaphorical expression of the plan of the Universe and depicts the link between people, buildings, and nature.
Here Vastu means environment, site, or a building. As a concept, it extends to include a village, town, a country, or indeed the whole earth in all its manifestations. When a building is in a perfect state or order, it is viewed as a Purusha, the 'man' of the universe, representing pure energy, soul, or consciousness; a kind of creative intelligence in the universe.
Mandala means a diagram. It relates to orientation because the earth is essentially demarcated by sunrise and sunset, by east and west, north and south. It is known as Vastu-Purusha-Mandala because the name consists of three parts: Vastu + Purusha + Mandala. As a rule, its shape is square, which is the fundamental form of Indian architecture. The square form of Vastu-Purusha can be converted into a triangle, hexagon, octagon, or circle of equal area and retain its symbolism. Once the orientation of the site is established, the Vastu-Purusha-Mandala or the ground plan is superimposed on the site.
The Vastu-Purusha-Mandala was so universal that it could be applied to an altar, a temple, a house, a city, or the entire cosmos. Thus, Vastupurusha in the form of human in a planned site characterized by the symbols of zodiac signs, constellations, and planets, which represent the entire solar system, and make the site, house, palace, village, city, etc. a micro-cosmic aspect of the macro-cosmic Purusha or Vastupurusha (Kramrisch, 1976; Shukla, 1993).
The Vastu-Purusha-Mandala adopts the shape of the site, and this functional attribute of the Mandala active in the mind of the designer in its ideal form of a square, acquiring a different shape, in reality, is a primary example of its inherent flexibility. Not only does it adapt to the site constraints, but also it adopts the parameters of design requirements of contexts as diverse as the hot-and-arid state of Rajasthan and the wet-and-humid state of Kerala, as well as the variations in building materials, functional requirements, and the social and political context in which it is used (Chakrabarti, 1998, p. 63).
• The proportionate measurement of the building (Maana).
The third basic principle of Vedic architecture is Maana, the proportionate measurements. The measurements are divided into six categories - measurement of height, breadth, width or circumference, measurement along plumb lines, measurement of thickness, and measurement of inter-space. The role of Vaastu Shastra in the system of measurement is to achieve harmony between the absolute and the quantifiable. Measurement mediates finality to an architectural concept, similar to the spoken word, which provides a frame over which the canvas of thought is stretched. Measure 'fixes' as well as 'evaluating' (Chakrabarti, 1998, p. 35).
• The six canons of Vedic architecture (Aayaadi-Sadvarga).
There are six main components of a building, base (Aadhistaana), column (Paada or Stambha), entablature (Prastaara), ear or wings (Karna), roof (Shikara), and dome (Stupi). The Ayaadi formulas1 are some of the aspects analyzed to assess the qualities of the house (Guna). In short, Aaya means measurement of building = length × breadth (Shukla, 1993, pp. 211-217).
• The aesthetics of the building.
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty. Applying aesthetic considerations to buildings and related architectural structures is complex, as factors extrinsic to spatial design (such as structural integrity, cost, the nature of building materials, and the functional utility of the building) contribute to the design process. Notwithstanding, architects can still apply the aesthetic principles of ornamentation, texture, flow, solemnity, symmetry, color, granularity, the interaction of sunlight and shadows, transcendence, and harmony. In Indian tradition, beauty is considered as Chandra (moon); the structural aspect of building and its rhythmical disposition is like that of poetry (cf. Shukla, 1993, pp. 180-211).
These traditional principles contour buildings in multifarious forms, structures varied from one another to suit the different classes of buildings, to satisfy different functions, and they never present an identical view. As a result, Vastu Shastra has been described as a body of knowledge, which has been sustained, developed, and modified by successive generations of architects through many centuries. It implies a tradition of knowledge that has, at various times, been ordered and expressed (and so is handed down to us) in a range of texts, with a variety of titles.
The rituals associated with architecture are described in the later Vedas, Sutras,6 Puranas,7 Tantras,8 Vastu Vidya9, and its compilations till the 15th century AD, and are still part of the construction process today (Bhattacharya, 1986, pp. 2, 126). Most of the material, from the 6th century B.C. to the 6th century A.D., has been lost, and only fragmented portions are used in the later works of Vastu Vidya (Bhattacharya, 1986, pp. 129, 138). The two streams of Vastu Shastra, the Nagara and the Dravida School, 'imitated' each other, explaining the common basis of their indigenous development (Bhattacharya, 1986, pp. 144, 148). This indicates the prevalence of common architecture traditions all over India. The most renowned excavations of ancient Indian sites such as Harappa and Mohenjodaro (now in Pakistan) have highlighted ancient Indian civic art and refined civic sense during this era (Shukla, 1993, p. 51). It was only in the medieval period that 'town planning' according to Vastu principles was first depicted in Arthasha ¯stra10 (Scharfe, 1978, p. 169; Kangla, 1965). The compilers of Arthashastra attached great importance to the orientation to the elements of the city planning because the scheme applies the plan of Vastu-Purusha-Mandala (geometrical plan or ground plan). Ancient Indians equated the place, the temple, the house, etc as kinds of 'regular space' (Vastu). All these buildings were viewed as reflections of cosmic structures. All of them have followed the same scheme of Mandala as a pattern of the whole universe (Stein, 1985; Begde, 1978; and Schlingloff, 1967, 1969) and the basic principles, which were formulated by maharishis 11 and rishis, 12 are still applied because of their empirical and technical nature. For example, the cities of Jaipur and Chandigarh have followed the principles of Vastu-Purusha-Mandala. Volwahsen (1969) has elaborately explained the geometric interpretations of Jaipur city.
The design of Chandigarh by Le Corbusier (French architect) was welcomed by Jawaharlal Nehru as a creative approach in new terms, trying to think in terms of light, air, ground, water, and human beings, not in terms of rules and regulations laid down by our ancestors. Although Le Corbusier followed his own architectural philosophy, his Chandigarh master-plan corresponds to the Vastu-Purusha-Mandala, the architectural mechanism providing a blueprint for building in the Vastu Shastra legend.
(1) Capital Complex symbolizes the head, which is in the north-eastern direction. This coincides with the head of the macrocosmic Purusha.
(2) According to Vastu, water should be in the north or east directions for healthy living. Sukhna Lake occupies the east/northeast corner. It is the best place for water and also for meditation. This is because the morning sun rays, rich in ultra-violet radiation, kill germs and disease-causing bacteria present in the water.
(3) According to Vastu principles, places of study and a healthy environment are situated in the northern direction. If one looks at the map of Chandigarh, the Panjab University and PGI hospital are located in the north, where the causative planet is Mercury (Buddha); this planet's main attribute is health (treasure of health and knowledge).
(4) According to Vastu, Lord Brahma occupies the center of the place. Thus, the city center (Sector 17) is the heart of the city. It is a recognized place for administration/assembly.
(5) According to Vastu, the northwest is known as the darker side of the plot. Accordingly, the cremation ground is placed in the northwest part of the city, which was marked for the same purpose in the ancient city.
(6) The industrial area, according to Vastu, is suitably located in the southeast belt, governed by Agni, which symbolizes fire; in the case of industry, Agni (fire) symbolizes the use of electricity, energy, power.
(7) Lastly, according to Vastu, the south and west directions are favorable places for living purposes. Thus, residential buildings are located in the southwest, south, and west zones of the city.
Email: info.nsftid@nitte.edu.in
