SAMARANGANA-SUTRADHARA The Parméra Ruler of Dhara Originally Ealted by Mahamahopadhyaya T. GANAPATISASTRI, Honorary Member, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Honorary Doctor of Philosophy, University of Tubingen, Editor of the Trivandrum Sanskrit Series Revised and Edited by Vasudeva Saran Agrawala Late Professor & Head of the Department of Art and Architecture, Banaras Hindu University. ‘; » atin Oriental Institute BARODA 1966First Edition of text in two volumes (Gos. nos. 25 & 32) 1924-25. Second Revised Edition of text in one volume 1966 Copies 1000 Printed by Ramanial J. Patel, Manager, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Press (Sadhana Press ), Near Palace Gate, Palace Road, Baroda and published on behalf of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, by Dr. Bhogilal J. Saadesara, Director, Oriental Institute, Baroda, Nov, 1966. 23 Joo Copies can be had from js Manager, THE UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS SALES UNIT, M.S. University of Baroda Press ( Sadhana Press » Near Palace Gate, Palace Road, BARODAFOREWORD The Samarafgana-Sitradhara of Bhoja was first published ( 1924 and 1925 A.D.) as the G. O, Series nos. 25 and 32 in two volumes edited by Mm.T. Ganapati Shastri. For many years the work was out of stock. Dr. V. S. Agrawala expressed his desire to re-edit the whole text and add another volume containing his long Introduction (discussing the contents) and notes with an index of technical terms. He was preparing this additional volume but unfortunately he died on the 27th July, 1966 before he could complete the same. At his suggestion the text originally published in two volumes is now re- edited and published in one volume as G.O.S. no. 25 while we hope to publish in future as G.O.S. no. 32 a volume containing Introduction, notes and Index to the text, on the basis of Dr. Agrawala’s notes ete. Dr. Agrawala has given a small Introduction to this text volume. ‘We are thankful to the University Grants Commission and the Govern- ment of the Gujarat State for their Sinancial assistance in publishing this volume. We are also thankful to Shri R. J. Patel, Manager, M. S. University of Baroda Press, for his earnest co-operation in printing this volume, B, J.,Sandesara Dittegron Oriental Institute, Baroda, Dated 9th November, 1966PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION (First Volume of Samardiiganastitradhara ) Samarafiganasiitradhdra is a work on architecture. It means, literally, an architect of human dwellings and deals with the planning of towns and villages, building of houses, halls and palaces as well as machines of various kinds. The edition is based on the following three manuscripts (1) The manuscript marked %, belonging to the Central Library, Baroda, which runs up to a certain portion in the 82nd adbyaya but is wanting in 19 folios, and which was copied, as mentioned in the colophon, in Sarhvat 1594, (2) The manuscript marked a, belonging to the same library, which runs up to a portion in the 55th adhyaya, (3) The manuscript marked a, obtained on Joan from the Bhandar at Pattan, which runs up to a portion of the 49th adhyaya but is want- ing in 10 folios and which appears to be of the same age as the first. These manuscripts are full of errors and not very legible. To examine them for the press was a very difficult task, ‘The first 54 adhydyas are now issued as the first volume while the remaining adhyayas are in the press and will be published before long as the second volume. An exhaustive table of contents is prefixed to this volume a perusal of which will give an idea of all the subjects imbedded in it. The work treats of the construction of cities, palaces, and mansions with greater clearness of expression and wealth of details than any other available work of Silpa Sastra. The 31st chapter contains descriptions of various kinds of ‘machines that are not found in other Silpa works, such as the elephant machine (aaa), wooden bird-machine travelling in the sky (sitrarfifigmem), wooden vimana machine flying in the air (arerumitqrenafarraa), door- Keeper machine (greqerae), soldier machine (arauea) etc. gam fet eh a ag wea seat gare oo: eqUTETORTITYg: 0 sae Rewad gaa a sha zh ghar at aSeat aT gett aaztshE aT wedlGtfolenea ea wa”Vili aqrent wefiet caferag arr qe 2 wernt srexrareniiser safety ATER: TRE Teraral ea ATTA | rare: Ree Tea Rei wat aT TM eta gaPaae eweceg aah anda RT agisee TeeEI ceBATE” UL Generally, the language of the extant Silpa works is ungrammatical, but the resent work is free from grammatical solecisms and written mostly in a sweet and beautiful style, The work will prove to be of immense benefit to students of Indian architecture as well as to those who wish to follow it in practice. The author of the work, as mentioned in it, is Maharijadhiraja Sri Bhoja- deva who is probably the same Bhoja of Dhara who ruled over Malwa in the first part of the 11th century A.D, and to whom many important works are ascribed such as, Spig’raprakaSa (Alankira) and Sarasvatikanthd-bharana (Vyakarana ). (1924 A.D.) T. Ganapati SastrePREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION (Second Volume of Samardigana Sitradhara ) This, the second volume, completes the work of Samardigena which runs up to a portion of the 83rd Adhyaya. It contains descriptions of Prasidas pertaining to Devas, statues made of gold, silver ete., the art of painting, wa and eff to be delineated in pictures and images, 64 kinds of ga beginning with Pataka and similar other topics, a detailed mention of which may ‘be found in the contents attached. - Great difficulty had to be experienced in bringing out this edition as no other manuscript was available than the one referred to in the preface to the frst, volume, which contains several errors and is in many places not legible. Proper substitutes for the errors have been proposed within interrogations and new readings for impure words and phrases suggested as far as possible by means of foot notes. The subject matter being Silpa, the work need not possess the characteristics ofa literary work, Nevertheless it is remarkable for its sweet and simple Kavya style, It is for this reason that I said in the first volume that the author of the work is the same King Bhoja of Dhiri who wrote Spigiraprakaa and other works and to whom is assigned a high place in the domain of Sahitya. It may be said that, because the various machines such as the elephant machine, door keeper machine, flying machine etc., mentioned in the work, have not been either seen or heard of before, they are only products of imagination and not actual machines made and put into practical use. That is not so; for, even things which once existed might, in the long run, come to be considered as unreal on account of their disuse and things involving much labour, time and money may also get out of use very easily. It may be asked next why the poct has not described the method of constructing the machines. The poet himself answers thus :— rami seat Tea gad aaa wa tgci Sh carat AR Game (Vol. I, P. 175) The meaning of the line, saat Ht weaat: is, in case the methods are revealed in the work, then every one not initiated in the art by the preceptor will try to construct the machines and the attempt made by such a persen may not onlyx not achieve success but bring about troubles and dificulties. The following loka contains the qualifications necessary for constructing the machines. enh that aie wena agate att arated: Fier ae aster Peart AR, arf ade (Vol. I, P. 176) Tis also not uncommon, in the case of highly useful machines, to keep unrevealed the methods of constructing them. (1925 A.D.) ‘T. Ganapatr Sastrr.SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS The detailed contents of the Samardigana SUtradhdra are shown in the Sanskrit analysis prepared by the previous editor, T. Ganapati Sastri. Here is a small synopsis of contents showing the principal subjects in English. Now I will speak chapter-wise. Ch, 1, entitled Mahdsamagamana is introductory, stating that this Vastu- Sastra follows the tradition of Visvakarma, who was commanded by Brahma to place the various settlements and buildings, make the earth free from fear and worthy of habitation, Ch. 2, a dialogue between Visvakarma and his four sons, Jaya, Vijaya, Siddhartha and Apardjita, who were commissioned by the father to build all kinds of Vastu monuments in the four direction, Ch. 3, Prasua relates to questions of Jaya about the extent, nature and geography of the earth and heavenly constellations. Ch. 4, Mahadddisarga deals with the creation of Mahat (the Universal ), Ahariikéra (the Individed Ego) and the five Tanmatras by Brahmi, who was born on the lotus, springing from the navel of Visnu, Ch. 5, Bhuvanakosa deals with the length, breadth and circumference of the earth as well as of the seven continents and oceans, Ch. 6, Sahadevadhikra depicts the age when gods and men lived together in a state of nature and obtained all theit wants from the Kalpa-vyksa or Wish- fulfilling Tree. Ch. 7, Varndéramavibhdga deals with the four classes of society and the four stages of life. Ch. 8, Bhimipariksd deals with the examination of the earth and the varieties of its clay prior to building. Ch. 9, Hastalaksana gives the measurement of a hasta or cubit, which was equal to twenty four afigulas or eighteen inches. Ch. 10, Puranivsa deals with town planning of three sizes, big, intermediate and small, each having its contingent of moat, city wall, gateways, towers, roads and buildings. Ch. 11, Vastutrayavibhdga,, deals with the three kinds of the site plan, divided into sixty four, eighty-one and hundred padas or squares like those on the graph, each serving as the station of a deity.