Vastuvidya Systems of Indian Architecture

by Tarapada Bhattacharyya

The Indian Vastusastra or the canons of Indian Architecture is a field of study in which very few scholars have worked in the last few years in India. The Indfian Vastusastra includes 'Brihat Samhita' Samarangaon Sutradhara' and the 'Isana-SivaGurudeva Paddhati'. We know from the South Indian inscription that Isana-Siva-Gurudeva was the preceptor of King Rajendra Choladeva of the Chola dynasty who has helped us a lot to form a chronology of the history of the Vastusastra.

The origin of Indian Vastusastra, the different phases of its development, the relation of the Southern Indian texts to one another and the probable age of compilation of the various texts from the main theme of this book, which have not yet been discussed by any scholar. It is regarded that the Manasara book is the source of the works on Vastuvidya. But I have shown that the Mansara book has really very little in common with the other available texts and that it belonged to Southern India. The date of this valuable work has further been discussed and suggestion has been made about the book, the reasons of similarity between the Mansara and the work of Virtuvius, the Roman writer or architecture has also been discussed in this book.

The book shows that there were two schools of Indian Vastuvidya the North Indian and the South Indian, a fact which has not yet been proved by any scholar. I have also emphasized the contribution of the Dravidians and other ancient Non-Aryan races of India to Indian Architecture. It was the Asuras and the Nagas who helped the development of Stone Architecture in India which mainly existed during the 2nd Century B.C. Garga evolved this style with the help of the Naga of king Sesa. This partially supports the view of Dr. Jaiswal  who attributed the origin of Nagara architecture to the Architecture is related to the Nagara style of Architecture is related to the Nagara style of painting mentioned in the Vishnudharmmotaram.

It is quite evident from the Chitralakshanam of Naganajit that painting was first introduced into the world by Nagsajit, who was an Asura king with the help of Visvakarma, heralded the beginning of Indian Architecture as well initiated the concept of Vastuvidya.