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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) v6.c40.s29: The Viśvakarma-Śilpa

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) v6.c40.s29

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English

The Viśvakarma-Śilpa

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The most popular treatise on architecture is naturally the one attributed to Viśvakarman, the heavenly architect. There seems to have been more than one title to this work : one is called the *Viśvakarma-Prakāśa* or *Viśvakarma-Vāstu-śāstra*, another is called the *Viśvakarmīya-śilpa*, apparently the same as the *Viśvakarmīya-śilpa-śāstra*.¹ The one designated as *Viśvakarma-Prakāśa* or *Viśvakarma-Vāstu-śāstra* deals with directions on the building of houses, the making of roads, tanks, etc. The treatise contains thirteen chapters in which the following topics are dealt with :
(1) *Maṅgalācharaṇa*—auspicious preliminaries (benediction).
(2) *Vāstu-purushotpatti-varṇanam*—the origin of the presiding deity of the house, *Mānasāra* VII, XXXV.
(3) *Bhūmi-lakshaṇa*—soil, *M.*, II, III.
(4) *Gṛiha-praveśa*—first entry into the house or house-warming, *M.*, XXXVII.
(5) *Khanana-vidhi*—digging (ploughing) the soil, *M.*, V.
(6) *Svapna-vidhi*—dreams.
(7) *Bhūmi-phalam*—fruit of the soil, *M.*, IV, V.
(8) *Gṛihārambhe samaya-vidhi*—auspicious time for beginning a building, *M.*, XXXV.
(9) *Dhwajādhȳāya-phalāni*—flags.
(10) *Āya-vyayāṁśādīnāṁ phalāni*, *M.*, LII, XXXIX, IX, XXX, LXIV, LV.
(11) *Gṛiha-madhye devādīnāṁ sthāpana-nirṇaya*—installation of idols in temples, *M.*, in many places.
(12) *Dhurvādi-gṛiha-bheda*, *M.*, not specified.
(13) *Dvāra-mānāni*—measurements of doors, *M.*, XXXIX.
(14) *Stambha pramāṇāni*—columns, *M.*, XV.
(15) *Gṛihāṇāṁ śālā-nirṇaya*—halls of houses, *M.*, XXXV.
(16) *Gṛihārambha-kāla-nirṇaya*—almost the same as (8).
(17) *Gṛihārambhe lagna-kuṇḍalīstha-graha-phalāni*, *M.*, not specified.
(18) *Śayyā-mandira-bhavana-sumana-sudhārādi-gṛihāṇāṁlakshaṇāni* (see below the comparisons of the *Purāṇas* and *Āgamas*), referred to in many places in *M*.

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¹ Egg. Catalogue, p. 1129. A treatise bearing the same title was published by the Veṅkaṭeśvara Press, Bombay, in Saṁvat 1952, Śaka, 1817, another at Benares in 1888. The same treatise is stated to have been translated into Bhāshā under the title *Pālārāma Vilāsa* by Mukula Śaktidhara Śarmā, at Lucknow, in 1896. In the Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras, there is a MS. bearing the title *Viśvakarmīya-Śilpa-Śāstram* (Catalogue, Vol. XXI, no. 13057).

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(19) *Pādukā-upānaha-mañchādīnāṁ māna-lakshaṇa*—measurement of footwear, shoes, couches, etc., referred to in many places in *M.*

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(20) *Śaṅku-śilā-nyāsa-nirṇaya*—finding out the cardinal points, etc., by means of a gnomon, *M.*, VI.

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(21) *Vāstu-deha-lakshaṇāni pūjanaṁ bali-dāna*—offerings, *M.*, VIII.

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(22) *Śilā-nyāsa*—referred to in many places in *M.*

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(23) *Prāsāda-vidhāna*—palaces, *M.*, XL.

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(24) *Śilpa-vyāsa*, *M.*, not specified.

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(25) *Prāsāda-nirṇaya*, *M.*, XIX–XXX.

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(26) *Pīṭhikā-lakshaṇa*—pedestals (of the phallus), *M.*, LIII, XIII.

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(27) *Maṇḍapa*—pavilions, *M.*, XXXIV.

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(28) *Dvāra-lakshaṇa*—doors, *M.*, XXXVIII, XXXIX.

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(29) *Vāpī-kūpa-taḍāgodyāna-kriyā*--making of tanks, wells, pools, gardens, referred to in many places in *M.*

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(30) *Dāru-chchhedana-vidhi*—cutting of wood, *M.*, XV.

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(31) *Gṛiha-praveśa-nirṇaya*—almost the same as (4), *M.*, XXXVII.

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(32) *Gṛiha-praveśa-kāla-śuddhi*, *M.*, XXXVII.

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(33) *Śayyāsana-dolikādīnāṁ lakshaṇa*--bedsteads, seats, palanquins hammocks, almost the same as (18).

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(34) *Durga-nirṇaya*—forts and fortified cities, *M.*, X.

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(35) *Śalya-jñānaṁ*, *śalyoddhāra*--semi-astrological topics, referred to in many places in *M.*

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(36) *Nāgara-sambandhi-rāja-gṛihādīnāṁ nirṇaya*—the palaces in cities, *M.*, XL.

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It should be noticed that most of these topics of this version of Viśvakarman refer to non-architectural and chiefly astrological matters. It is also worth noticing that this treatise leaves out sculptural topics altogether.

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The *Viśvakarmīya-śilpa*,¹ apparently the same as is mentioned in Rājendralāla Mitra's notices of Sanskrit manuscripts, is a Nāgarī copy made in 1872 from an original written in the Hala-Kānāḍi character, the older codex being in the library of the Rāja of Tanjore. ‘None of the MSS. examined by Mr. Burnell is perfect or even tolerably correct. This treatise is apparently a compilation, as it is written in the Tāntric style, having Śiva for its narrator.’ The contents are classified under the following seventeen chapters:

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¹ In Rājā Dr. Rājendralāla Mittra's *Notices of Sanskrit MSS.* (Vol. II, no. 73, p. 142). Of the other version, *Viśvakarmīya Śilpa-śāstra*, the Madras MS. noted above, which was copied by Niṭla Sūrappa on Saturday, the 5th day of the bright fortnight of the Aśvija month in the year Jaya, contains a statement referring to Viśvakarma's debt to Brahmā, Indra, Maya, Bhārgava, Aṅgirasa, Dhruva, Gautama, Gārgeya, Manu, Vyāsa, and Bhṛigu. Agastya is also referred to. It is stated to have been founded on the revelation of Viśvakarman and traced back successively to Bṛihad-ratha, Parāśara, and Śambhu. In the *Mānasāra* the origin of the science is attributed to Śiva, Brahmā, and Vishṇu, and through Indra, Bṛihaspati, Nārada and others it was revealed to Mānasāra; Viśvakarman, Maya, Tvashtar, and Manu represent the heavenly architects, and Sthapati, Sūtragrāhin, Vardhaki and Takshaka form the guild of modern architects, but there are thirty-two other architectural authorities mentioned in the *Mānasāra*.

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(1) *Viśvakarmotpattiḥ karma-viśesha-bhedena vyavahṛitra-takshaka-varddha, kyādi-śabda-vyutpattiś cha*—origin of Viśvakarman, derivation of the words *takshaka*, *vardhaki*, etc., *M.*, II.

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(2) *Satyādi-yuga-jāta-narochchatā-pramāṇaṁ, yajñīya-kāshṭhena prastareṇavā deva-pratimā-nirmāṇe mānādi*—height of man in different ages of the world, wood, and stone for the construction of images.

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(3) *Takshakasya garbhādhānādi-saṁskāra-kathanaṁ, garbhotpatti-kathanādi cha*—sacraments for sculptors and carpenters.

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(4) *Śiva-liṅgādi-pratishṭhārthaṁ sabhā-nirmāṇādi*—halls for the installation of Śiva’s phallus and other gods, *M.*, LII.

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(5) *Graha-pratimā-nirmāṇa-pramāṇaṁ, liṅga-pīṭha-nirmāṇa-pramāṇādi cha*—proportions of images of the planets and phalli.

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(6) *Ratha-nirmāṇa-vidhi-kathanam*—cars and chariots, *M.*, XLIII.

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(7) *Ratha-pratishṭhā-vidhiḥ*—consecration of cars, *M.*, XLIII.

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(8) *Brāhmī-Māheśvaryādīnāṁ svarūpādi-varṇādi*—characteristics of Brāhmi, Māheśvarī, and other goddesses, *M.*, LIV.

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(9) *Yajñopavīta-lakshaṇaṁ*—Brāhmaṇical sacred thread.

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(10) *Suvarṇa-rajata-muñjādi-nirmita-yajñopavīta-kathanaṁ digbhedena devasthāpana-prakārādi, meru-dakshiṇa-sthita-hema-śilākathanādi cha*—sacred thread of gold, silver, muñja fibre, the cardinal points at which images of gods and goddesses are to be installed, qualities of (the stone-god called) Hema-śilā (*lit.* golden stone) to be found to the south of the Meru mountain.

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(11) *Lakshmī-Brāhmī-Māheśvaryādi-devīndrādi-dikpāla-grahādi-mūrti-nirmāṇa-prakāra*—images of Lakshmī, Brāhmī, Māheśvarī and other goddesses, of Indra and other Dikpālas (quarter-masters), planets and other gods, *M.* LIV, etc.

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(12, 13) *Mukuṭa-kirīṭa-jaṭā-mukuṭādi-nirmāṇa-prakārādi*—crowns, crests and headgear, *M.*, XLIX.

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(14) *Sthāvarāsthāvara-siṁhāsana-nirmāṇa-prakārādi, punar viśesheṇa kirīṭa-lalāṭa-paṭṭikādi-nirmāṇa-prakāraḥ, Devatāyā mandirasya cha jīrṇoddhāra-prakāra*—movable and fixed thrones for images, crests, crowns, bands and other headgears, repairs of temples, *M.*, XLII, XLV.

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(15) *Liṅga-mūrti-mandira-dvārādi-kathana*—proportions of doors of temples to phalli, *M.*, XXXVIII, XXXIX, LXIV.

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(16) *Pratimā-mūrti-mandira-dvārādi-kathana*—proportions of doors of temples to (other) images, *M.*, XXXVIII, XXXIX.

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(17) *Vighneśa-mūrti-mandirādi-nirmāṇādi-vidhi*—temples for the images of Vighneśa (Gaṇeśa) and other matters.

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This portion of the treatise of Viśvakarman is chiefly sculptural. The treatment of the subject is in detail, although not so elaborate as in the *Aṁśumad-bheda* of Kāśyapa. I am inclined to think that the two versions form in fact the complete treatise attributed to Viśvakarman.

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We have seen that Viśvakarman refers to the authority of Mayamata. If this Mayamata be the same person as the author of the *Mayamata* discussed above, and there seem reasons to think so, Viśvakarman might have been indebted to the *Mānasāra* through *Mayamata*, if not directly. Even the brief comparison of the two treatises given above may serve to indicate that there may have been such a relation of indebtedness between the *Viśvakarma-śilpa* and the *Mānasāra*.

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