Town Planning in Ancient India c8.116.2

c8.116.2

A city resembling a 'vajrasūcī' in shape (diamond-shaped, *i.e.*, octogonal) should be regarded as inauspicious. The forepart of a city laid out or constructed in the shape of a bow (cāpābha) or 'vajranāga' should be reckoned as the most auspicious." But unlike the Agni Purāṇa, the Matsya Purāṇa highly recommends the semi-lunar shape for riparian towns. Indeed every Hindu is aware that the holy city of Benares situate on the convex side of the Gangetic bend presents a semi-lunar aspect; while we learn on the authority of the Harivamśa that the town of Mathurā, standing on the bend of the river Jumna, looked like a half-moon.¹ The Matsya Purāṇa further adds that semi-lunar shape should be avoided anywhere else by those who have knowledge of the art. It approves the oblong, square, or circular shapes. According to it the triangular or drum-shaped (yava-madhya) towns are not conducive to peace and prosperity.² It supports even octogonal shapes like a diamond. Like the foregoing authors who deprecate the triangular shapes, Bhoja cites with approval the opinion of the Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa that hardly ever should towns be shaped triangular or circular, while longitudinal or square towns are the best. By longitudinal (dīrgha) he means "extending in width to one quarter of the length of the town (pādaika-prasāra), while by 'tryasra' he means an equilateral triangle. Both concur in the view that long-shaped towns make for permanence, peace, and prosperity;