Vaastu Shastra(Vaastu- physical environment and Shastra- knowledge/ text/ principles) is one of the traditional Hinducanons of town planning and architecture. These canons are codified in texts such as Manasara, Mayamatam, Viswakarma Vaastushastra, Samarangana Sutradara and Silparatna. Vaastu Shastra deals with various aspects of designing and building living environments that are in harmony with the physical and metaphysical forces/ energies of the cosmos such as the gravitational, electromagnetic and supernatural. Building practices based on limited interpretations of these principles are still sustained in specific areas of India.
In Hindu cosmology the surface of the earth is represented as a square, the most fundamental of all Hindu forms. The earth is represented as four cornered with reference to the horizon's relationship with sunrise and sunset, the North and South direction. It is called Caturbhrsti- four cornered- and represented in the symbolic form of the Prithvi Mandala. The astrological charts or horoscopes(Rasi, Navamsa, etc.,) also represent in a square plan the ecliptic- the positions of the sun, moon, planets and zodiacal constellations with reference to a specific person's place and time of birth.
The Vaastu Purusha Mandala is a specific type of mandala used in Vaastu Shastra. It is the metaphysical plan of a building/ temple/ site that incorporates the course of the heavenly bodies and supernatural forces.
The legend of the Vaastu Purusha is related thus. Once a formless being blocked the heaven from the earth and Brahma with many other Gods trapped him to the ground. This incident is depicted graphically in the Vaastu Purusha Mandala with portions allocated hierarchically to each God based on the contributions and positions in performing this act. Brahma occupied the central portion - the Brahmasthana- and other Gods were distributed around in a concentric pattern. There are 45 Gods in all including 32 outer Gods.
The principal Gods/ presiding deities of each direction (called the ashtadikpalar) are:
The Vaastu Purusha is the presiding deity of any site. Usually he is depicted as lying on it with the head in the Northeast and the legs in the Southwest but he keeps changing his position throughout the year.
The most important mandalas are the Manduka/ Chandita Mandala of 64 squares and the Paramasaayika Mandala of 81 squares- especially the former. The normal position of the Vaastu Purusha- head in Northeast, legs in Southwest- is as depicted in the Paramasaayika Mandala. However, in the Manduka Mandala the Vaastu Purusha is depicted with head towards East and feet towards West.
An important aspect about the mandala is that when divided into an odd number of squares, or ayugma, its centre is constituted by one module or pada and when divided into an even number of squares or yugma, its centre is constituted by a point formed by the intersection of the two perpendicular central lines. In spatial terms, the former is sakala or manifest/ morphic and the latter is nishkala or unmanifest/ amorphous.
In temples, the concepts of sakala and nishkala are related to the two aspects of the Hindu idea of god/ worship - Sagunopaasana, the supreme as personal God with attributes and Nirgunopaasana, the supreme as absolute spirit unconditioned by attributes. Correspondingly, the Sakala, complete in itself, is used for shrines of gods with form- sakalamoorthy- and to perform yajnas. However the Nishkala is used for installation of idols without form- nishkalamoorthy- and for auspicious, pure performances. The amorphous centre is considered beneficial to the worshippers, being a source of great energy. This could also be used for settlements.
In residential buildings, only odd number of modules are prescribed as the nishkala or amorphous centre would cause too high a concentration of energy for human occupants. Even here, the Brahmasthana is left unbuilt with rooms organised around.
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. Some of these are northeast should house the pooja room, east- bathroom, southeast- kitchen, south- bedroom, southwest- armoury, west- dining, northwest- cowshed, north- treasury.
Vaastu Shastra prescribes desirable characteristics for sites and buildings based on flow of energy. Many of the rules are attributed to cosmological considerations - the sun's path, the rotation of the earth, magnetic field, etc., The morning sun is considered especially beneficial and purifying and hence the East is a treasured direction. The body is considered a magnet with the head, the heaviest and most important part, being considered the North Pole and the feet the South pole. Hence sleeping with one's head in the North is believed to cause a repulsive force with the earth's magnetic North and thus considered harmful. Bedrooms are therefore designed keeping this in mind. This is a wide spread practice in Tamil Nadu even today.
Energy is primarily considered as emanating from the Northeast corner and many site and building characteristics are derived from this. Sites sloping down towards North or East from higher levels of South and West are considered good. Open spaces in site and openings in the building are to be more in the North and East than in the South and the West. No obstacles are to be present in the North and the East. Levels and height of buildinga are to be higher in the South and West when compared to the North and East.The Southwest corner is to be the highest, followed by Southeast, then by Northwest and finally by Northeast. The triangle formed by joining the Southwest, Southeast and the Northwest corner of the site is attributed to the moon and the triangle formed by joining the Northeast, Northwest and Southeast corner of the site is attributed to the sun. The former are prescribed to be heavier and higher and the latter light and lower. Sites having a longer East- West axis are considered better. The diagonal connecting Southwest and Northeast is to be longer than the diagonal connecting Southeast and Northwest. An extended Northeast corner is considered beneficial.
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