Eternal India Encyclopedia

ARCHITECTURE

Eternal India

encyclopedia

Devagriham

: Temple

Ratha

: Chariot; a Pallava temple, shaped like a celestial chariot.

Devakulam

: Temple

Sabha

: Assembly.

Devalaya

: Temple

Sayana

: Bed.

Devayatanam'

: Temple

Shakti

: Power, the feminine aspect of divinity.

Garbhagriha

: Sanctum of the shrine

Shalabhanjika

: Statuette, literally, a sculpture representing a girl gath-

Gavaksha

: Small, ornamental niches on lowest towers

ering 'Sal' flowers.

Gopuram

Monumental gateway

Shastra

: Text of rules.

Harmyam

: Temple

Shikhara

: The superstructure over the cella.

Jagamohan

: Audience hall orante room;compartment of an Orissan

Shilpa shastra

: Text book on sculpture.

temple fronting the sanctuary.

Srikoil

Temple of Kerala.

Kalasha

: Ornamental pots found in finials and capitals

Stupa

: A Buddhist relic mound.

Kshetra

: Sacred Place .

Stupika, stupi

: Small, domical structure resembling a stupa, employed

Lingam

: Phallic symbol of Shiva

as a crowning member of Dravidian temples and re-

Lokpala

: Guardian of the cardinal points

peated in smaller scale on the lower levels of the struc-

Mandala

: Magical diagram or circle; imagined shape of the cos-

ture

mos; circular diagram representing a Buddhist hierar-

Sudha

Brick,

chy of cosmology.

Tandava

: Fierce, violent dance of Shiva.

Mandapa

: Large open hall, porch.

Tribhanga

Pose of the three bends in dance and in art.

Mandiram

: Temple

Vajrasana

: Adamantine throne.

Mantra

: Prayer formula, sacred verse; phrases believed to

have

Vaastu shastra

'Rules of architecture'.

magical or religious power.

Vesara

Type of temple characteristic of Central India in the

Mithuna

: Couple in erotic pose or loving embrace.

form of a Buddhist chaitya-hall.

Nandi

: Sacred bull of Shiva.

Vesmart-

Temple

Natamandira

: Dancing hall, usually the middle structure in an Orissan

Vihara

Buddhist or Jain monastery.

temple.

Vimana

Towered sanctuary containing thecella in which the

Nataraja

Shiva as Lord of the Dance.

deity is enshrined.

Natya mandapa

Hall of dance.

Yaga

Sacrifice.

NavaGraha

: Nine planets.

Yantra

Mystic,

amuletic diagram.

Nritta

Rhythmic dance

Yoga

Communication with universalspirit by practice of ec-

Nritya mandapa

: Hall of dance.

static meditation; one of the six schools of Hindu philoso-

Pradakshina patha :

Processional passage or ambulatory.

phy -

Prakara

: Open courtyard or passage around a temple.

Yoni

Female sex organ; symbol of Shakti.

Purusha

Ideal man.

VAASTU

"He, who begins to work as an architect

(sthapati)

without knowing the science

of architecture

(vaastu shastra)

and is proud with false knowledge, must be put to

death by the king as one who ruins the kingdom

(rajahimsaka)-,

dead before his time,

his ghost will wander on this earth. He, who, though well versed in the traditional

science, is not skilled in the work, will faint at the time of action like a timid man on the

battlefield. He, who is expert only in his workmanship, but unable to understand the

meaning of the traditional science, will, like a blind man, be misled by anyone. Even

so, he who knows the traditional science and its meaning, and masters the craft, is not

as yet the perfect architect. For immediate intuition, a readiness

(pralyutpanna)

judgement

(prajna)

in contingencies, and the ability to fuse them into the require-

ments of the whole, are the distinctions of a true sthapati. It is then, that the builder

himself, once his work is completed, is struck with wonder and exclaims: "Oh, how

was it that I built it!". (From:

Samaranganasutradhara)

Vaastu Shastra,

building science based on the principles of astrology, can be

used to determine the auspicious time for commencement of work, position and size

of rooms, position of entrance doors and other architectural details pertaining to the

construction of a house. Some of the principles of

Vaastu Shastra

are found in the

Vedas

and scriptures while others have been preserved in oral tradition.

The house site should be selected after a test which involves digging a pit and

filling it with water. The pit should be examined at sunrise the following day. It all the

water has been drained off it is an indication that the plot is inauspicious and will bring

misfortune to the owner. If some water remains in the pit the site will bring prosperity

to the owner.

The site should be either square or rectangular. It should not be triangular,

hexagonal or circular. The plan of the building should not be a square but could be

rectangular.

The house should face north for those who are educationists and artists, east for

SHASTRA

those in government service, south for business people and west for others. The

house should never face south-east.

The depth of the well should be about three times its diameter. The position

should be north-east for houses facing south or west. Houses facing north-west

should have wells in the south-west.

To determine the position of the well, a female calf should be selected. It should

be smeared with turmeric and sandalwood paste and garlanded with flowers. A

coconut should be broken and pooja performed with camphor. The calf should be

allowed to go where it wants. If it passes urine the spot is the proper place for a well.

If it drops dung, water will not be available.

The rooms in a house should be located as follows : kitchen (south-east), bed-

room (south west), bathroom (east), study room (south-west), dining hall (west),

store room (north), pooja room (north-east).

The direction which the front door should face is determined by the sign of the

zodiac occupied by the moon at the time of birth of the owner: Cancer, Scorpio,

Pisces (east); Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn (south); Gemini, Libra, Aquarius (west);

Aries, Leo, Sagittarius (north).

The omens when the owner proceeds to the site to commence building are

important. The following are good omens:

1. A funeral procession. 2. Two cows. 3. A girl coming in the opposite direction.

4. Eagle flying in circles. 5. A naked child. 6. Voice of a lizard. 7.White cow grazing

on land. 8. Crows flying from right side to left side. 9. Parrot, hen, crane, rabbit, cow,

squirrel or donkey moving from right to left. 10. Horse, single man, elephant, lady with

red saree, dhobi, curd, milk, ghee, mutton and water.

The bad omens are: 1. Buffaloes. 2. Widows. 3. Sick people. 4. Black cow. 5. Fox.

6. Dove. 7. Black hen. 8. Dogs fighting. 9. Ants moving in a haphazard way. 10. Crab