Mayamatam (2 Vols) Treatise of Housing Architecture and Iconography

by Bruno Dagens, Ed. & Tr.

Contents:

Vol. I: Preface. Text and translation of Mayamata

1. Summary
2. Dwelling sites
3. Examination of the site
4. Taking possession of the site
5. System of measurements
6. Orientation
7. Diagrams
8. Offerings
9. Villages planning
10. Towns
11. The number of storeys and the dimensions
12. The foundation deposit
13. The socle
14. The base
15. Dimensions of pillars and choice of materials
16. Entablature
17. Joinery
18. Making of the roof and completion of the building work
19. One storeyed temples
20. Two storeyed temples
21. Three storeyed temples
22. Temples with four or more storeys
23. Enclosures and attendants' shrines.

Vol. II: Text and translation of Mayamata

1. Gateways
2. Pavilions and halls
3. Houses
4. Features of houses for the four classes
5. First entry into a house
6. Royal palaces
7. Doors
8. Vehicles
9. Beds and seats
10. The linga
11. Pedestals
12. Renovation work
13. Iconography. Appendix: Where and when a well is to be established. Bibliography. Editions and manuscripts of Mayamata used for the establishment of the Sanskrit text. Index-glossary.

The Mayamata is a Vastusastra, i.e. a treatise on dwelling, and as such it deals with all the facets of gods' and men's dwellings, from the choice of the site to the iconography of the temple walls. It contains numerous and precise descriptions of villages and towns as well as of the temples, houses, mansions and palaces. It gives indications for the selection of a proper orientation, right dimensions, and of appropriate materials. It intends to be a manual for the architect and a guidebook for the layman.

Well-thought-of by traditional architects (sthapati-s) of South India, the treatise is of great interest at a time when technical traditions, in all fields, are being scrutinized for their possible modern application.

The present bilingual edition prepared by Dr. Bruno Dagens, contains critically edited Sanskrit text which is an improvement over the earlier edition by the same scholar and published as No. 40 of Publications de I'Institut Francaisd'Indologie, Pondicherry.

The English translation, also published earlier, has now been revised with copious notes. The usefulness of the edition has been further enhanced by adding an analytical table of contents and a comprehensive glossary.