Manasara Series (I. A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture; II. Indian Architecture according to Manasara-Shilpashastra; III. Manasara on Architecture and Sculpture: Sanskrit Text; IV. Architecture of Manasara: Translation; V. Architecture of Manasara: Illustrations; VI. Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad; VII. An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture) v2.c14.s23: Chapter XXXV: The Śālā (Śālā-vidhāna)
Mānasāra Series (I. A Dictionary of Hindu Architecture; II. Indian Architecture according to Mānasāra-Śilpaśāstra; III. Mānasāra on Architecture and Sculpture: Sanskrit Text; IV. Architecture of Mānasāra: Translation; V. Architecture of Mānasāra: Illustrations; VI. Hindu Architecture in India and Abroad; VII. An Encyclopaedia of Hindu Architecture) v2.c14.s23
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Chapter XXXV: The Śālā (Śālā-vidhāna)
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The distinction between the *śālā*, the *maṇḍapa*, and the *gṛiha*, to each of which, a separate chapter is devoted, is not quite clear. The three terms are used more or less in the same sense, to imply houses in general. All of them consist of the same parts and are used for similar purposes. In the compounds *go-śālā* (cowshed), *aśva-śālā* (horse stable), *pāṭha-śālā* (college or school), etc., the word *śālā* indicates a detached building; while in *pāka-śālā* (kitchen), etc., it may imply a hall or room. In the present chapter *śālā* is used mostly in the sense of temples and of residential buildings for Brāhmaṇas, Kshatriyas, Vaiśyas and Śūdras.
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Like villages, *śālās* are first divided into the same six classes of *daṇḍaka*, *svastika*, *maulika*, *chatur-mukha*, *sarvato-bhadra*, and *vardhamāna*. Some of these with a fixed number of halls are said to be temples, while others varying in the number of rooms are meant for the residence of people of different castes. A distinction is made with regard to the number of storeys they should be furnished with. The maximum number of storeys a *śālā* has is twelve. The various storeys of all these *śālās* are described in detail. Eleven alternative breadths, eleven lengths, and five heights, are given to each *śālā*. It should be observed that the width is generally the standard of measurement in Indian architecture; the length and the height being in most cases determined in comparison with the breadth. The height is described here by the general formulas indicated by the five technical names, *śāntika*, *paushṭika*, *jayada*, *dhanada* (in other places *sarva-kāmika*), and *adbhuta*. Many alternatives in measurement are, however, modified by the rules of *āyādi-shaḍ-varga*, as in all other places.
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The plan and characteristics of the six classes of *śālās*, both religious and residential, are described in detail. The various parts, mouldings and ornaments of a *śālā* are the same as those of an ordinary house. Columns, walls, roofs, floors, domes, doors, windows, staircases, arches, arcades, etc., are minutely described.
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A special feature of the present chapter is the consideration of the times and season proper for the building of a *śālā*. Certain months and seasons are stated to be quite unsuitable for this purpose. Astrological and ritualistic considerations form another peculiarity of this chapter. Some classes of *śālās* are said to suit particular people born under the influence of certain planets and stars.
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The chapter closes with an account of the rules of *shad-varga* as applied to *śālās*, and with an enumeration of the various parts of a *śālā*.