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 ofClimate
thec consciousness.
Factors which
make place for
VEDA origins Human
Deity
c Soil
c habitation
from the word VID- Habitatio
to know. n
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
 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
Nuclear type of that type
Linear universe, making the complex whole. Brahmins
Co

Shudras
Co Co
Society Vaishya

Bachelor
s Kshatriya
Co
dormitor s
Basic patterns of y
grouping Semi-permanent
 North
The fortified camp of the Aryans was a Street
rectangular enclosure with its four sides facing
the four quarters, divided into four wards by the
two main streets, which crossed each other in Rajmar
the center and terminated at the four ends by ga
four principal gates. Mangalavit
There were four subsidiary gates near the i
corners of the villages so that the whole Plan of an Indo Aryan
circumference of the walls was divided into eight-village
The Eight Fold Path.
According to Kautilya Northern gate to
Arthashastra. Senapati or Kartikeya
the War-God

Western gate was

Eastern gate, the starting
dedicated to the
point of the circumambulatory
setting sun, or to
rite was dedicated to Brahma,
the Yama, the Lord
the Creator represented by
of Death.
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
Evolution Pattern and Design
Vastu means proper place to live in.
Life requires basic elements i.e. air,
fire(light), water, earth and space.
It is rational: Vastu is the study of
impact of Suns rays on the earth. It
reads the characteristics of a house
and explains its effects on the
residents in a scientific manner.
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
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
Fundamentals and Objectives
such a way as to create harmony in allof Vastushastra:
those who occupy the space or use the
Natural Environment and Symbols: The lotus is significantly symbol for
object.
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
 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 Raksha
intochakra or the
the interface
Astrological time cycle
and relationship with the world outside. superimposed on the
Space Vastupurusha mandal.

Air

Fire

Water

Earth
The five basic elements on Hasta a unit of
which Vastushastra is based
on
measurement
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 Brahmasthanam
Mandala ranging from
1x1, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4.
8x8, 9x9. 31x31, Deivikapada
32x32 and they are m
classified under two Manushapada Vaastu Purusha Mandal
categories one of even m of 81 squares-
numbers and the other of Paramasayika Or
Paisachikapada
odd numbers. Chandita Pada
m
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
Visuddh
i The Swastika used by Hitler has a
Individual Anahat
terribly low energy level of 1,000
a`
Bovis.
Manipur
a
Svadhisthan
a
Muladhar
a Swastika or the satya has a
Chakram or subtle energy points in the formidable positive energy lvl of
human body 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 The swastika in reverse has the
relationship between energy fields of same energy level as in satva,
man and buildings. 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

Basic form of a town
Dwellings, 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.