Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c5.3

v1.c5.3

It is needless to say any thing in detail in regard to these parts as every part has been preceded by some introductory remarks and the readers are referred to the introductory chapters of these parts. Here I am more concerned to introduce the broad subject of this Volume. As already pointed out, this Volume is an extended study of my Ph D. Thesis-A Study of Bhoja’s Samarāṅgaṇa's Sūtradhāra. I am really happy to say that this very elaborate, complete and authoritative medieval manual of Vāstu-Śāstra has-now become a household name among the students of architecture—vide my so many publications centering round this magnificent work written by that illustrious king whose name is a household name among Indians. This work really fascinated me so much that I simply overdid it and it is under duress that I am writing this introduction—vide my prolonged ailments consequent upon too much exhausting myself during the last ten years of my researches centering round the Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra of king Bhojadeva of Dhārā. It is really very difficult to study such a technical work and to present a scientific and systemetic exposition of such a technical subject, more so when there was no previous guidance. A good many scholars, notably Indians (vide the presidential addresses of technical-sciences-section of A. I. O. Conference particularly of Dr. Moti Chand) have talked very lightly of these ancient manuals of Hindu Science of Architecture. This gave me a great impetus to refute this very low estimation by the Indian scholars themselves. I cannot claim to be the first interpreter of this ancient wisdom. Ramraz and Dr. P. K. Acharya, Dr. Bhattacharya, Prof. Kramrisch and others have preceded me no doubt, but without any self-praise, I must say that my approach is altogether a new approach to this hitherto uninvestigated branch of Indology. Ramraz only summarized the contents of Mānasāra, Dr Acharya's contribution confine to the edition, translation and dictionary of Mānasāra and Dr. Bhattacharya's pre-occupation with the historical genesis made him too much absorbed in non-scientific matters. Nevertheless his approach to some of the architectural problems may be said to be pioneering. The domain of Prof. Kramrisch and Dr. Mallaya were limited in the sense that both these scholars have expounded the canons of Temple-architecture only, though Prof. Kramrisch's Hindu Temple is a land mark in contemporary studies in Temple-architecture and we all owe a debt of gratitude to this gifted and eminent writer who had the credit to open an altogether new vista of vision in explaining the depth of the Hindu Temple. As regards myself my means and resources have been too meagre to cope with very highly ambitious and zealous undertaking and despite these shortcomings my diety has enabled me to complete the high edifice of my Vāstu-Śāstra Research in as many as six (four Hindi and two English) Volumes. I simply do not know how could I do it. In my youthful zeal and magnetic pursuit I simply could not foresee the very hard undertaking. I had to pursue this undertaking in a dedicated manner and the hard labour of these full six years has simply crippled me and I feel exhausted and thus my research project of ten to fourteen volumes seems to be a distant hope. Situated as we are we have no encouragement, nor are there avenues for our labour to be fully recognised. We have not yet developed detached tradition where personal ambition must be put down in the consideration of merit and scholarship.