Prachin Vastushilpa

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Prachin Vastushilpa" by Bhagwandas Jain:

The book "Prachin Vastushilpa" (Ancient Architecture) by Bhagwandas Jain highlights architecture as a significant component of ancient Indian culture. Despite the existence of numerous texts on the subject, their lack of study has limited their dissemination. The author expresses delight in the beautiful forms of ancient temples, palaces, forts, cities, villages, wells, step-wells, and lakes, identifying these as the essence of ancient architecture.

The text connects architecture to Jain scriptures, mentioning the detailed and beautiful descriptions of the palaces of Chakravartis (universal emperors) and Devas (gods). The builders of these structures were known as 'Sthapati' or 'Sutradhar,' analogous to modern temple and house builders, carpenters, and potters. A unique aspect mentioned is the "Vardhikiratna" (Jewel of Architecture) among the fourteen great jewels of a Chakravarti, identifying this Sutradhar as Vishwakarma, capable of swiftly constructing buildings according to the emperor's desires. The text notes that the term Vishwakarma is commonly associated with builders of divine structures and that a caste of builders in South India also bears this name, suggesting it's not an exaggeration to refer to architectural craftsmen as Vishwakarma.

The origin of "Vastu" (dwelling place) is explained through the ancient text 'Aparajitaprichchha'. It states that during a battle with the demon Andhakasura, a drop of sweat from Lord Mahadeva fell into a fire pit, giving rise to a colossal ghost. This ghost was then subdued by forty-five deities who resided upon it, transforming it into the "Vastupurusha." This divine occupancy is the reason behind the practice of worshipping these deities at the commencement and conclusion of building activities, known as Vastupujan.

Several significant texts on architecture are listed, including 'Aparajitaprichchha', 'Samarangana Sutradhara', 'Prasad Mandan', 'Shilpa Ratnam', 'Maya Mata', and 'Parimana Manjari'. Specifically for Jain architecture, 'Vastushara Prayan' and 'Jinasamhita' are highlighted. 'Vastushara Prayan' is divided into three sections: Sookara Prakarana, Murti Prakarana, and Devalaya Prakarana. 'Jinasamhita' details temple and idol construction, including a description of the Dravida style of temples, which, due to its regional nature, is not universally applicable. In contrast, the temple construction described in Acharya Vasunandi's 'Pratishtha Sara' belongs to the Nagara style and is considered universally applicable.

The book then delves into the practical aspects of house building, emphasizing the crucial step of land testing before construction. Citing 'Vastushara Prayan', the text describes ideal land for construction: square, free from termites, cracks, and subterranean obstacles (shalya), and sloping towards the east, northeast, and north. Inferior land types are identified, with termite-infested land being disease-inducing, saline land problematic, heavily cracked land leading to death, and land with subterranean obstacles causing suffering.

The concept of "shalya" includes buried remnants like animal bones and hair. To purify the land, digging at least three feet deep is recommended. The text lists specific consequences of different types of shalya, such as human bone shalya leading to the owner's death, donkey bone shalya to legal punishment, dog bone shalya to the death of children, cow bone shalya to financial ruin, and so on. 'Samarangana Sutradhara' suggests digging until water or stone is encountered, or up to the depth of one man, to remove any shalya before building.

The text further elaborates on the harmonization of the house with the owner. Similar to matching horoscopes for marriage, the land's dimensions, income, expenditure, astrological constellations, etc., are matched with the homeowner's. Construction should commence during auspicious times, considering the strength of celestial bodies. Specific months are deemed inauspicious for starting construction, namely Pisces, Virgo, Gemini, and Leo (in relation to the Sun's position).

The calculation of 'Ay' (income) and 'Vyaya' (expenditure) for a house is explained. Ay is derived by dividing the product of length and width by eight, taking the remainder. Vyaya is calculated by multiplying the area by eight, dividing by twenty-seven, taking the remainder, and then dividing that result by eight, taking the final remainder. A house where 'Ay' is greater than 'Vyaya' is considered auspicious for wealth.

The book outlines various types of structures and their components, such as halls, partitions, walls, pillars, pavilions, lattices, and windows, mentioning a total of 16,384 types of houses in scriptures. The doors in the four cardinal directions have specific names: Vijaya (East), Yama (South), Makara (West), and Kubera (North).

The text also discusses the spatial division within a house, assuming the direction of the main entrance as East. Accordingly, it assigns specific areas for: knowledge (East), cooking (Southeast), sleeping (South), toilets (Southwest), dining (West), armory (Northwest), treasury (North), and religious activities (Northeast).

Regarding the height of a house, the first floor is recommended to be between five to seven hands. The height of a door should be the house's width in hands, converted to inches, plus sixty inches. The door's width should be half its height, with an option to increase it by one-sixteenth of the height. All doors, windows, and lattices should have their lintels at the same level.

A critical section discusses four types of house entrances:

1. Utsanga: When the main door and the first entrance are in the same direction and aligned. This is considered auspicious, leading to prosperity and growth in family and wealth.
2. Heena Bahu: Entering the main house to the left after the first entrance. This is associated with limited wealth, few friends, and illness.
3. Poorna Bahu: Entering the main house to the right after the first entrance. This promotes growth in wealth, grains, and progeny.
4. Pratyakshaya: Entering by facing the rear wall of the first part of the house. This is deemed entirely objectionable.

The height of the house in all four directions should be uniform. If the front is higher and the other three sides are lower, it is detrimental to wealth. If the right side is higher, it enhances prosperity. A higher rear is also seen as increasing prosperity, while a higher left side makes the house barren.

A significant portion is dedicated to seven types of 'Veedha' (defects):

1. Talvedha: Uneven ground, or having oil mills, water wheels, or another's drainage or pathway directly in front of the door.
2. Konvedha: When the corners of the house are not parallel, being uneven.
3. Taluyvedha: Uneven ceiling slabs within the same section of the house.
4. Kapalvedha: When a beam falls in the center of the door's lintel.
5. Stambha Vedha: A pillar in the central part of the house, or the placement of fire and water, is considered a heart-shalya or stambha vedha.
6. Tulavedha: Uneven floor or ceiling slabs between lower and upper floors.
7. Dwaravedha: Having a tree, well, pillar, corner, or nail directly in front of the house door.

However, these defects are not considered problematic if there is a space double the height of the house between the defect and the house. The consequences of these vedhas are severe, as described in 'Vastushara Prayan': Talvedha causes skin diseases, Konvedha leads to upliftment (though the text suggests it can also be destructive), Taluyvedha brings fear, Stambha Vedha causes family destruction, Kapala and Tula Vedha result in financial loss and poverty.

The text further lists other detrimental vedhas: a pathway from one's house into another's is ruinous, a tree vedha prevents lineage growth, mud vedha causes sorrow, drainage vedha leads to financial loss, well vedha causes epilepsy, vedhas of deities like Shiva or Surya lead to the owner's destruction, a pillar vedha is detrimental to women, a door facing Brahma causes family destruction, thorny trees near the house invite fear of enemies, milky trees cause financial ruin, and fruit-bearing trees hinder progeny growth.

Regarding trees to be planted near a house, specific trees like Bijora, banana, pomegranate, lemon, guava, tamarind, babul, ber, and trees with yellow flowers are to be avoided. Instead, auspicious signs like depictions of Yoginis' dances, Mahabharata, Ramayana, royal battles, or the lives of sages and gods, as well as good dreams, should be painted.

It is reiterated that these vedhas and their associated defects are nullified if there is a wall or pathway between the house and the obstructing element. Doors that automatically open or close are considered inauspicious.

In conclusion, the book presents these architectural principles as the basis of ancient Indian culture. The author laments that modern architects lack this traditional knowledge, leading to the construction of houses with inherent flaws that hinder progress. This, the text states, is the considered opinion of ancient architectural science.