STUDY AND

APPLICATIONS OF
VASTUPURUSH
MANDALA

The word vaastu is derived from Vas which means to reside. It is not equivalent of the word
architecture, but a lot more.
Vastu Shilpa Shastra finds its origins in Sthapatya Veda (Science of Architecture- A part of the
Vedas written by the settler Aryans, in the post Indus Valley Civilization days). It is said that
Mayan, the great scientist, architect and town planner was responsible for the basics of vastu
shastra
dating
somewhere
between
B.C. and
5000
B.C. to a harmonious life and
According
to Vastu
a structure
is full10,000
of life force.
Vastu
purports
seeks equilibrium. We are surrounded by energy fields that get distorted when a structure is
built and thus need to be restored. When this is achieved in a proper manner, a harmonious
flow of energy permeates the building.

VASTU AS RELIGION

Vastu is NOT a religious scripture but a scientific one which is followed religiously. The sheer
blindness of man has led to vastu shastra to be used in wrong, deceiving means.
Religiously speaking, the spirit of the house was called the Vaastu Purusha and different
cardinal directions and sectors were assigned to different Gods like Brahma, Ishwara,
Agni, Varun, Wind, Yam and Demon, since the waves flowing in a particular direction
have a specific influence.

TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS
VastuVASTU
as said before is a science, and is based upon climatological observations and takes
OF

into account the five vital elements of nature, namely- Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space.
These elements influence all life forms and vastu teaches us to balance these harmoniously
in order to get the perfect dwelling.

VASTU DESCRIBED ACCORDING TO

SCIENCE
(1) EARTH (Bhumi): - The Earth element enters your home through the southwest
and to a lesser extent in the west and southeast. The Southwest should be closed
as much as possible and have maximum weight. A deficiency of the earth
element is strengthened by weighing down this area with heavy furniture, tall
trees, fences, garage, storerooms etc.
(2) WATER (Jal): - Water bodies in the northeast are considered auspicious, and to
a lesser extent in the north and west. This is the direction of purity and divine.
The northeast of your plot/building should always be clean, light and tidy. Wells,
tubewells, swimming pools etc. should all be in the northeast. Toilets or the flow
of sewer systems should be towards Northwest.
(3) AIR (Vaayu):- The air element should enter the building from northwest, and
to a lesser extent in the north and west. A blocked northwest leads to various
health, movement and relationship problems. All the openings and media for air
entry such as doors, windows, ventilators coolers, air-conditioners, verandahs,
balconies etc. should be in this direction.
(4) FIRE (Agni): - The direction of Fire is southeast, and to a lesser extent in the
east and south. The Kitchen, fireplace, heaters, boilers etc. should be placed only
in this direction. The Southeast corner of every room should have a fire element
such as TVs and computers.
(5) SPACE (Aakash): - The space element enters the premises through the

VASTU DESCRIBED ACCORDING TO

RELIGION
Many Vastu rules are derived from 'Vastu Purusha Mandala' which is
depicted as a man lying with his head pointing north east, in a grid of
usually 64 squares. The different directions and sectors are assigned to
different Gods and Guardians.

(1) Orientation of Plot and Building - The axis of

the plot and the building should run parallel to the
main directions. There is a technical procedure by
which the cardinal points are ascertained for the
orientation of the buildings. The following main
influences
of Vastu the
should
bePurusha
taken into
account:
(2)
Siteplanning:
Vastu
Mandala
- It is
the metaphysical plan of a building/temple/site that
incorporates the course of the heavenly bodies and
supernatural forces. 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.
(3) Proportional Measurements (Mana) - In the
Vedas it is stated: If the measurements and the
proportions of a building is perfect, the universe is
perfect. The adherence of mana in Vastu is extremely
important and can be divided into 6 categories:
Height, width, circumference, measurements of
connecting lines, thickness, and interspace.
1:1 Peace
1:1.25 Strength, wealth, perfection
1:1.5 Joy
1:1.75 Health

(4) The six formulas of Vedic Architecture- There are six main component part of the building
: Aadhistaana (Base), Stambha (Column), Prastara (Entablature), Karna (Wings), Shikhara (Roof),
and Stuupi (dome).
(5) The character and aesthetics of buildings (chanda) - Chanda (beauty) main refers to the
structural aspect of a building and its rhythmical disposition. Each brick and each building unit is
filled with rhythm, it is a charged and obtains a compelling weight and shape in the hands of the
builder.

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONSJAIPUR CITY

The town of Jaipur is built in the form of an eight-part Mandala

known as the Pithapada. The city was divided into nine blocks,
of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, with the
remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge fortification walls
were made along with seven strong gates for the purpose of
security of the city.
The layout of Jaipur is rectangular, not exactly square and
there is not a central square as such. This evidence reveals
that the city must have been planned on a mandala with
unevenly divided sides
The city was planned according to Vastu Shastra. The directions
of each street and market are east to West and North to South.
The Eastern gate is called Suraj (Sun) Pol, while the Western gate
is called Chand (Moon) Pol. There are only three gates facing
east, west, and north including the Northern gate (known as
Zorawar Singh gate) which faces toward the ancestral capital of
Amber.
The extension to the town on the southeast corner the plan is
very typical of the vastu purusha mandala. For example, the
wall around the main square, the avenue running from east to
west, the palace in the central pada, and nine padas of equal
size.

a- Conceptual Plan
b- Effect of Topography
c- Final Plan

CITY PLAN

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONSVastu
Tips for
Living Room
HOUSE
PLANNING

The East and North are best directions for living room.
The furniture should be square or rectangular.
Air-conditioner or cooler should be placed in West direction, not in South-east.
Portraits of women, animals, birds, scene of war should never be displayed in living room.
A painting showing depression should not be placed on a wall.
The door of living room should be in east or north direction
Windows in east and north are beneficial
Vastu for Dining Room
Dining room should be located in west direction whereas kitchen should be made in south-east direction. Water arrangement
should be in north-east direction.
Electrical appliances like fridges should be in south-east direction.
Ceiling lights should fall vertically and mainly focus on the surface of dining table
Window should be placed in north or east side as compared to south or west side.
If the house is located in north direction, the entrance should be in north direction.
Tips for Vastu Bedroom
As a general rule of vastu, south-west corner of bedroom should not be left empty. Always keep heavy things, furniture
etc. in this portion in every room.
South-west side of the house and of all rooms inside the house should always be heavier than the East and north-east
side. Maximum open space should be left in north-east side of the room and house.
Nobodys bedroom should be exactly in the middle of the building.
Some buildings do not get proper east-west and north-south directions. They have corners only. In bed rooms of such
buildings, for getting the proper direction, one should not put his bed in an oblique position.
As far as possible, the almirah should not be in the bedroom. If it is necessary, it should be placed in a way leaving the
south-east, the north-east, the south-west and the northwest corners as well as the east and the north directions.

Location of Pooja Room: North-east is an excellent location for Pooja room. Pooja room in north quadrant provides good
results. Special poojas can be performed in Brahmasthana (center of house).
Vastu Tips for Bathroom and Toilet
It should not be located in east, north or northeast direction.
It should not be in northeast and center place of the house.
It should not be near kitchen and under the stairs.
If a change room is built in bathroom, it should be in South or West direction.
The mirror should be on northern or eastern wall.
The door should not be in south-west direction.
Washing machine can be placed in south-east and north-west direction directions
Vastu for Kitchen
According to Vastu Shastra, the lord of Agni (Fire) prevails in south-east direction. So ideally the kitchen should be located in
south-east of the home.
Entry door of kitchen should be in the East, North or West. The door of kitchen should not be in any of the corners.
The gas stove should be in southeast corner, a few inches away from the wall. Gas stove or any other cooking material should
be placed in such a way as allows the cook to face only towards the East while cooking. If the lady faces west while cooking, it
may lead to health problems.
Gas Cylinder should be kept in south-east.
Heaters, conventional ovens, micro-waves ovens should be placed in south-east or south side of the kitchen; never in northeast portion.
Sink (wash basin) should be in north-east corner as far as possible.
The water source including pitcher, water filter, etc. may be kept in north-east.
There should be one or two windows or air holes in the east direction of the kitchen. An exhaust fan in the East is good.
Vastu Tips to Create an Effective Enviornment in Study Room:
The room to be chosen for study should be in the East , North or the North-East direction of the house.
Ensure that your child sleeps with his head towards East or South. The head towards east helps in learning whereas the head
towards south helps in maintaining magnetic balance of the body or earth.
Place computer in south-east of the room.
Make the room noiseless. The study room should not have any noisy toilet on the floor above or below the room.
Do not let the child study under a beam.

CONCLUSIONS
It can be seen from all the principles that are important to the nbuilding that there is
an underlying bioclimatic intention. Also that all the rules are based on shading south
and west, also personifying these directions as the house of devil, or in other words
misfit for human dwelling.
This gives an idea that the people responsible for this work were living in a warm
climate where shading the southwest was the main issue.
The principles of modern day architecture have become personal ego, visual aesthetics
and social acceptance, unlike the environmental concern as in the Vedic architecture.
The use of the mandala is just one of many examples of how a culture's worldview and
religion influences the organization of social space.

REFERENCES
PDF- Advanced Vastu (only as a study guide) http://www.aifas.com/books/SaralVastuShastraEnglish.pdf
Smita Gupta, 1995, Vastu Shilpa Shastra: the ancient Indian, bio-climatically
responsive science of building, S.B.S Publishers, 2-4 pp
PDF- Vastu, 5-7, 11-13 pp http://www.soul-indulgences.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/09/Vastu.pdf
Webpage- Analysis of the Mandala and Town Planning in Jaipur, India
http://capasia.iweb.bsu.edu/II/Jaipur01.html
Webpage- JAIPUR ON THE PRINCIPLE OF VASTU SHASTRA http://www.jaipur.org/city/jaipuron-the-principle-of-vastu-shastra.html
Webpage- Vastu for Home http://jasseehomes.hpage.co.in/vastu-for-home_49125511.html