The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c7.25

c7.25

phant which represented the south quarter.¹ The road or wide path running round the village inside the wall or stockade was called *Mangala-vîthî*—the Way of Auspiciousness, or Good Fortune; this being the path by which the village priests went daily in performance of the rite of *pradakshinâ*, or circumambulation. *Mangala* has also a secondary meaning as an epithet of Karttikeya, the god of war. In this sense the name refers to the use made of the road by the village or town sentinels whose watchfulness ensured the safety of its inhabitants from hostile attacks.