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Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c54: Chapter X: The Defects of the House and Some Varieties of the Defective Houses

Vāstu-śāstra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c54

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English

Chapter X: The Defects of the House and Some Varieties of the Defective Houses

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The defects of the house are principally associated, not only with the untraditional way of placing the doors etc., but also with breakage i. e. Bhaṅga, in any component part. It is bad and deemed as defective and is enjoined the Śāntika, a brief enumeration of which will follow in the preceeding paragraphs. The most prominent orbit of defects round which they revolve is the doctrine of Vedha—the obstruction as a result of the non-conformity of the mystic ideas of Hindus in the realm of architecture. We have already taken notice of such obstructions in a previous chapter (vide Dvāra-vedha) in connection with the door. Another source of defects is the masonry and material as well as the decorations and non-decorations and we have also taken into account the defects associated with them. Here in this chapter, we have, therefore, to confine ourselves to general defects, the avoidance of which gives us a perfect code of architectural canons, thereby furnishing us with a set of rules of House-Architecture, to be adopted as building byelaws in modern terminology. These building byelaws as they emerge from the complicated study of the defects, have been tabulated in a previous chapter—vide House Plans and Building Byelaws). Thus the universe of discourse of this chapter becomes limited and easy to handle. The greatest share of the defects in a house is associated with Bhaṅga—breakage (already referred to) The S. S. has devoted as many as four chapters (42, 43, 46 and 47) to the most exhaustive and copious description of this Bhaṅga in relation to a big list of the manifold parts and mouldings of the house. It also speaks of resultant evil-consequences such as death, misery and misfortune. The list is too big to be dealt with here. Among them the Toraṇa-bhaṅga (the breakage of the arch) is of special notice. The text says, that the breaking of an arch is a bad omen indicative of the breaking up of the Nation (vide 46. 9). Another bad omen is the entry of a dove—Kapota, into a house which is said to bring the greatest calamity. The bird is described as death incarnate, the abode of impurity and sins It is of four kinds—Śveta, white; Vicitra-kaṇṭha, of variegated neck; Vicitra, variegated all over, and Kṛṣṇaka-black. Their entry is regarded as a very bad omen and not only is an expensive Śāntika enjoined, but it is also directed that the owner of the house has to part with one-fourth of his wealth to the Brāhmaṇas if the entry in question is of the first variety of the devil dove—the white one, otherwise one-half, three-fourth or the whole of it is to be distributed respectively, if the entry in question is of remaining varieties of the bird—the Vicitra-kaṇṭha, the Vicitra and Kṛṣṇa (S. S. 46, 32-33).

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So far we have been busy with the non-architectural or mystic defects, now let us come to the defects of the architecture proper. This leads us to take up the defective houses resulting from the wrong orientation, the absence of some essential component, the wrong masonry and wrong material, etc. etc.

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Among the big list of the *śālā* varieties, a formidable list of defective structures consequent on the improper placing of the Mūṣā etc. has already been hinted at in the preceeding pages. A few illustrations of the defective structures are given as follows:

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1. Gṛha-Saṅghaṭṭa—A house having two śālās in one wall is called technically Gṛha-Saṅghaṭṭa.

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2. Valita, Calita, Bhrānta, and Visūtra the four-fold defective houses (S. S. 48.11-13) are those, deemed very inauspicious.

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| 3. | Khādaka | 7. | Saparikrama | 11. | Bhinnadeha |
| 4. | Vikokila | 8. | Sāvaśyāya | 12. | Chinnavāstuka |
| 5. | Sacchatra | 9. | Hīnavāhu | 13. | Saṅkṣipta |
| 6. | Sakakṣa | 10. | Pratyakṣāya | 14. | Mṛdaṅgākṛti |
| | | | | 15. | Mṛdumadhya. |

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There are however, so many other defective structures referred to in the text as a consequence of the wrong application of the Alindas:—

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(i) A house in which the Śālā is lower than the Alinda is bad.

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(ii) If only one Alinda is to be constructed in the house, it should be done so, either on the front or on the right. If it is done on the left or in its hind part, it is bad.

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(iii) A special variety of Alinda called Halakālinda if placed wrongly, is bad and is instrumental of evil consequences.

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In the end, without multiplying the illustrations, let us conclude with the general defects of the house, as the S. S. itself concludes in the concluding lines of the 48th Chapter, the concluding chapter of the House Architecture (vide 48.136-139).

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General defects of the house.

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| 1. | Uccachādya | 12. | Anyonyadravya-viddha |
| 2. | Chidragarbha | 13. | Kupada-pravibhājita |
| 3. | Bhramita | 14. | Hīna-bhittika |
| 4. | Vamitamukha | 15. | Hīna-uttamāṅga |
| 5. | Hīnamadhya | 16. | Vinaṣṭa |
| 6. | Naṣṭa-sūtra | 17. | Stambha-bhittika |
| 7. | Śalya-viddha | 18. | Bhinna-śāla |
| 8. | Śiroguru | 19. | Tyakta-kaṇṭha |
| 9. | Bhraṣṭālinda | 20. | Niṣkaṇḍa |
| 10. | Viṣamastha | 21. | Māna-varjita |
| 11. | Tulātala | 22. | Vikṛta. |

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(See Glossary)

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