The Hindu Temple v1.c5.s6.9

v1.c5.s6.9

By drawing the maṇḍala of the Vāstupuruṣa, a rite which is to be repeated, reality is reconstructed whenever a temple is built, so that the Puruṣa may live "in the city in which he sleeps." This is implied in the name Puruṣa explained as Puri-śaya, "one who sleeps in a city" (Yāska, 'Nirukta', I. 13).⁸⁴ It is in this application that the Vāstupuruṣamaṇḍala of 81 squares, the Paramaśāyika plan, is prescribed for the houses of all castes, for the palaces of Rājas and for the Indrasthāna, the temple of Indra⁸⁵ ('Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra', XIII. 3).⁸⁶