Vastu Shastra – The Science of Architecture.pptx

It talks about acient knowledge of vastu shastra

1. Vastu Shastra – The Science of Architecture Dr. Ankit Gandhi Associate Professor

2. Introduction Survival instinct is a basic feature of any living entity. E.g. Birds and insects construct different types of nests and dwellings. Similarly, human beings began with simple temporary structures and dwellings perhaps at the foot of large trees, made of natural resources such as the trunk of trees and branches.

3. Town Planning In modern parlance, town planning is a collective set of processes, ideas, and methods using science and technology to deploy the available land for human habitation and other uses in the most efficient way. It is concerned with the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, and infrastructure. Since mobility is a key requirement town planning also deals with the appropriate design of transportation and communication networks and the optimal layout of human settlements. On the other hand, architecture deals with the process of planning, designing, and constructing buildings for human use.

4. Indian Architecture—A Historical Perspective The architectural legacy of India can be understood from the archaeological excavations pointing to town planning and a large number of monuments maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) pointing to architectural practices of a variety of buildings, most notably temples . Town planning practices of the ancient Indians dating back to 2600 BCE. The extensive archaeological explorations of the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization and the analysis of sites such as Dholavira , Lothal, Harappa, and Mohenjo-Daro points to a well-developed town planning

5. Indian Architecture—A Historical Perspective Dholavira , a 48-hectare city located in the Rann of Kachchh where its proportion of rain is very low, had separate drains to harvest rainwater and several dams built across two nearby streams to divert their seasonal waters to a network of large reservoirs within the city. Harappa was a planned city spanning over 25 hectares, with the streets generally oriented along with the cardinal directions. Houses were built with bricks of standardized proportions; some of the larger ones had at least upper story, roofs consisted of wooden structures covered with grass or leaves. Complex structures, such as Mohenjo-Daro’s Great Bath or the so-called Granary, demonstrated advanced planning and construction skills.

6. Indian Architecture—A Historical Perspective In the Great Bath’s central basin, for example, the floor was made of tightly fitted bricks set on edge and cemented with gypsum plaster to make a watertight surface; it was then covered with a layer of bitumen (natural tar). Structures, such as wells constructed with trapezoid bricks, which prevented inward collapse were also found. Some of these Harappan techniques and concepts were preserved in later Indian architecture: for instance, the general house plan, with rooms organized around a central courtyard, is found in many parts of rural India; the drainage system of the later Ganges civilization appears a manifestation of Harappan legacy.

7. Vāstu-śāstra —the Science Of Architecture Vāstu-śāstra often evokes certain imagination in our minds that it is about building a house or an office complex and locating the rooms in appropriate directions. Vāstu-śāstra texts we notice that it deals with town planning, design of unitary structures including temples and residential houses, sculpture, painting, and furniture. Therefore, Vāstu-śāstra , also known as Vāstu-vidyā or Śilpa-śāstra , taken in the broadest context implies the science related to artistic creations through design, fabrication, and construction. The modern-day equivalent term is architecture.

8. Vāstu-śāstra —the Science Of Architecture Vāstu-śāstra four things are considered as vāstu : the earth or the ground ( bhūmi ), temple or a palace ( prāsāda ), conveyance ( yāna ) and couch ( śayana ). Of these, bhūmi is considered the primary one and is described first in the vāstu texts. Vāstu-śāstrā is essentially an art of correct setting whereby one can align the proposed structure to the pañca-bhūtas , and the rotational influence of the sun, moon, and the other planets surrounding the earth.

9. Topics typically discussed in Vāstu-śāstra .

10. Vāstu-śāstra text typically can be organized under five major heads Town Planning: Villages are the basic units of human inhabitation. The other elements are towns, forts, the capital city, and military cantonments. Alternative designs for these, choice of an appropriate site for developing these infrastructures, the details of land use patterns (zoning of a village or a town for different uses), etc. are often discussed in detail in all vāstu texts.

11. Vāstu-śāstra text typically can be organized under five major heads Civil Architecture: Vāstu-śāstra discusses the design and construction of unitary structures such as houses, palaces, temples, and public utilities. These can be segregated into civil and temple architecture. The civil architecture includes the design of a royal palace, houses for different sections of the society, forts, and public buildings such as sabhās (meeting halls), theatre, library, health centre , and other public infrastructures.

12. Vāstu-śāstra text typically can be organized under five major heads Temple Architecture: Elaborate plans and designs for the construction of temples are discussed in all vāstu texts. This also includes descriptions of various components of a temple such as mandapa, garbhagrha , śikhara , and stūpi and the relative proportions to be adopted. Another related issue discussed in Vāstu-śāstra is iconography. This addresses the issues of making the idols of Gods and Goddesses that occupy the temples.

13. Vāstu-śāstra text typically can be organized under five major heads Artistic Creations: The Vāstu-śāstra also deals with certain aesthetical elements that are part of the above infrastructure. For example, temples and public halls have paintings and different sculptures (other than the Gods and Goddesses). Details on the design of these are part of Vāstu-śāstra . Furthermore, other artistic elements such as furniture, sleeping couches, and doors are also subject matter for discussion in Vāstu-śāstra . For example, in Samarānganā-sūtradhāra , a chapter deals with the design of sleeping couches.

14. Vāstu-śāstra text typically can be organized under five major heads Other Issues: In addition to the above topics, we also find other related topics discussed in vāstu texts. For example, the qualifications of a Sthapati (the chief architect), his team of workers, and their roles are discussed in vāstu texts. Another issue that finds discussion relates to the choice of building materials (such as wood). Finally, a generic framework for site planning known as Vāstu-puruṣa-maṇḍala is discussed as the basic design mechanism to layout different components of a proposed structure. This applies to all types of architectural endeavours (Town planning, temple, and civil architecture).

15. Literary Sources Refer Page 314-315 in the book.

16. Vāstu - puruşa -mandala The ancient Indian approach to architecture views the site on which the proposed structureis to come as Vastu- purușa . The site is notviewed as bare earth but a transformed entity with life. It is, therefore, an artifice in which theground ( bhūmi ) is converted into the extent of the manifested universe. According to Garuda- purāņas , the vāstu-purușa must be placed in the following way: On the north-east the head of the Lord of Vāstu , and his feet towards the south-west and his hands at the south-east and north-west corner of the house, Figure 12.3 is the depiction of the Vastu- maņdala

17. Vāstu - puruşa -mandala The center of this mandala is the Brahma- sthala . The eight directions position the natural forces in the site and help the designer align the structure to these forces. Based on the type of planning adopted, these aspects are used to place various facilities. For example , in temple construction , the garbha-grha (the sanctum santorum ) is placed in the Brahma- sthala . On the other hand, in the design of a fortified capital city, the King's palace is placed at the Brahma- sthala . Any site on which a proposed structure needs to be built is conceived in terms of squares. Each square of the vāstu - puruşa -mandala is attributed to a protecting deity by whose name the square is designated (see Figure 12.3 for a partial representation of these deities in a mandala of 81 squares (9 x 9)).

18. Eight limbs of Vastu

19. Eight limbs of Vastu Yajamāna (Host): The core objective of Vāstu-śāstra is to provide satisfaction, peace of mind, and prosperity for a dweller or the owner. Therefore, the host has a very important role, and the building of any infrastructure depends upon certain characteristics of the yajamāna . This includes horoscope, varṇa , profession, and anthropometrics. Sthāpatya (Architecture): In modern parlance we use the term 'architecture' to denote all aspects of structural design, developing detailed specifications, cost estimation, and unique styling. These issues come under Sthāpatya in vāstu śāstra . Robust structuring is another aspect of consideration.

20. Eight limbs of Vastu Sthāpatya (Architecture): In modern parlance we use the term 'architecture' to denote all aspects of structural design, developing detailed specifications, cost estimation, and unique styling. Robust structuring is another aspect of consideration. According to Bhṛgu , the house built must last for at least 200 years and the fort and palaces must have a life span of at least 600 years.

21. Eight limbs of Vastu Śilpin (Technician): According to Mayamata , four types of technicians ( śilpis ) work on a building: Sthapati , Sūtragrāhin , Vardhaki and Takṣaka . Sthapati is the head of the team consisting of Sūtragrāhin , Takṣaka , and Vardhaki . The Sūtragrāhin is the draftsman, who does the layout using the cord ( sūtra ) for all measurements for the building. The Takṣaka carves stone, wood, and clay while the Vardhaki adds to his work by joining parts and finishing their surfaces. Sūtragrāhin is the disciple of Sthapati and often his son and successor who is considered capable of completing the project if the situation arises. The Vardhaki works with the Takṣaka closely and is subordinate to him.

22. Eight limbs of Vastu Bhūmi (Land): The starting point for any architectural endeavor, be it a civil building, a temple, a palace, a fort, or a town is to survey the land on which the proposed structure needs to be established. This involves ascertaining the overall suitability of the site for the proposed construction and an examination of the soil and soil conditions. Before selecting land for construction, it must be tested thoroughly. Land testing is done for the sake of two purposes; to determine whether the village will be developed and civilized and to ascertain the required quality of the land to construct the building.

23. Eight limbs of Vastu Vāstospati (Offerings): The beginning of an architectural endeavor has two activities: Vāstu-pūjana and bali -dāna, in which certain offerings are made and the gods, spirits, and demons are bid to leave. Vāstospati deals with various rituals related to Vāstu like homa, śānti , pārāyana (chanting), etc. Pādavinyāsa (Site layout): is the approach to site layout or design for the proposed construction. As we have already discussed the layout of any architectural creation is based on the Vāstu-puruṣa-maṇḍala .

24. Eight limbs of Vastu Vāstu (Materials): deals with the materials used and the processing of those materials as required for the construction in detail. Stone was one of t Alaṅkaraṇa (Renovations and Decorations): in Vāstu deals with two aspects: interior and exterior design of a building and repairs and modifications. The interior and exteriors itself is a great subject of the vāstu study. he most important materials used.