Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c9: Bhāratīya Vāstu-Śāstra Series

Vāstu-śāstra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v1.c9

Language: English

v1.c9.s1 (i) General Introduction to the Work — 28 parts
v1.c9.s2 (ii) The Method of Treatment — 2 parts
v1.c9.s3 (iii) Method of Study and the Re-arrangement of the S. S. — 2 parts

Bhāratīya Vāstu-Śāstra Series

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| Vol. | I | Bhāratīya Vāstu-Śāstra—Vāstu-vidyā evam Pura-niveśa. |
| „ | II | Bhavana-niveśa. |
| „ | III | Prāsāda-niveśa. |
| „ | IV | Pratimā-Vijñāna (Pt. I). Pratimā-lakṣaṇa (Pt. II). |
| „ | V | Yantra evaṁ Citra. |
| „ | VI | Translation of the Samarāṅgaṇa Sūtradhāra (Pt. I & II). |
| „ | VII | Samarāṅgaṇa-Vāstukoṣa. |
| „ | VIII | Vāstu-Śāstrā Vol. I. Hindu Science of Architecture. |
| „ | IX | Vāstuśāstra Vol. II. Hindu Canons of I conography and Painting. |
| „ | X | Vāstu-Śāstra Vol. III—Glossary and Illustrations. |

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*N. B.*—Vols. I, IV (two pts.), VIII & IX are completed. Vol. V. contributed in Hindu canons of Painting or Citralakṣaṇam & Vol. VIII—vide Palace-architecture and Palace-pleasures, the Yantras. Vol. III. has been partially presented—vide ‘Hindū Prāsāda—Caturmukhī Pṛṣṭhabhūmi’

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CHAPTER I

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INTRODUCTORY

(i) General Introduction to the Work

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King Bhoja of Dhārā, one of the greatest rulers of India, ruled from 1018 to 1060 A. D. He was great in the art of Government and war, but still greater in the art of peace. He had earned immortal fame as a great patron of poets and men of letters and a mass of legends has grown about his name. He is reported to be the author of more than three dozen works. These works, published and unpublished, show a wide range of subjects. Poetics, grammar, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, lexicography, architecture and archery, to mention only a few of the subjects, distinct in nature and definite in their respective domains, had an equal fascination for the illustrious king.

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Sri Viśveś ara Nātha Reu has laboured very hard in his treatise on ‘Rājā Bhoja’ (published by Hindustani Academy) in collecting all the available material on the subject to give an account of the life and works of Bhoja. He has given a list of the following thirty four books ascribed to Rājā Bhoja of Dhārā :

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The question of authorship of these works is worthy of an independent investigation. Nothing can be said authoritatively—what books were his own and what were produced under his patronage by the talented Pandits of his Sabhā. Tradition, however, warrants us to remark that king Bhoja did win the laurels as versatile, talented and authoritative an author, as per the evidence which has come down from the writings of his successor writers who have acclaimed his authorship of the different works on the different subjects.

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Aufrecht (vide his Catalogus Catalogrum) says that there are references to the authorship of Bhoja in the following post-Bhoja writers and works :—
1. Śūlapāṇi (cf. Prāyaścitta-viveka);
2. Daśabala — the Buddhist writer;
3. Allādanātha and 4. Raghunandana. N. B.—All these writers have acclaimed Bhoja’s authority on Dharmaśāstra.
5. Bhāva-prakāśa and Rugviniścaya of Mādhava attribute to him the authorship of the works on Āyurveda.
6. Keśavārka acclaims him a writer on Astronomy.
7. Kṣīra-swāmī, Sāyaṇa and Mahīpa acclaim him as a grammarian and lexicographer.

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Similarly the following quotations also prove the place of Bhoja among the reputed Sanskrit-authors :—

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मुनीनां भरतादीनां भोजादीनां चभूभृताम् ।
शास्त्राणि सम्यगालोच्य नाट्यवेदार्थवेदिनाम् ॥

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(cf. Kāṭayavema's commentary on Abhijñāna-Śākuntalam ref. in Government Mss. Lirrary Madras—Sanskrit books—Pt. I. Sec. I (A) p. 405—Kuppuswami).

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भोजराजेन यत्प्रोक्तं स्मार्तमन्यत्र चोदितम्
न्यायसिद्धं च संगृह्य वचनानि पुरातनैः ।।
अनुष्ठानप्रकाशार्थं स्मृतिरत्नं मयोच्यते ।।
(ibid 646)
भोज इवायं निरतो नानाविध-निबन्ध-निर्माणे ।
समयाेच्छिन्नप्राये सोद्योगः कामशास्त्रेऽपि ।।

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(cf. Kandarpa-cūḍāmaṇi of King Vīrabhadra).

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We know that Bhoja's works like Śṛṅgāra-prakāśa, Śarasvatī-kaṇṭhābharaṇa and Raja-mārtaṇḍa and his contribution in these works were quite well known. His contribution to the science of architecture was very little known or practically unknown till the Late Mahāmahopādhyāya T. Gaṇapati Śāstri, edited this work in the G. O. S. in two volumes. Naturally, therefore, the life and works of such a gifted and talented author, such a versatile genius must fascinate any research-scholar. It was my good fortune that my revered teacher Prof. K.A.S. Iyer prescribed for me the subject "THE LIFE AND WORKS OF RĀJA BHOJA" for my Ph. D. dissertation after I had taken my M. A. in Sanskrit from the University of Lucknow in 1940.

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Though the subject originally chosen was 'Life and Works of Rājā Bhoja' as time passed and I glanced over the material and the extensiveness of the subject-matter, I found the topic worth several theses. Dr. Raghvan of the University of Madras had already written his dissertation on Śṛṅgāra-prakāśa. I was, therefore, allowed to concentrate on one single text of that voluminous literature ascribed to Bhoja, the Samarāṅgaṇa-Sūtradhāra, a treatise on the science of Architecture. I was expected to elucidate its contents and give a factual presentation. I have spent several years on this *work (writing its summary, translation, study, glossary and still grappling with the illustrations of the architectural and sculptural objects) and I am now happy to present a part of the results of my study in the following pages.

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The Samarāṅgaṇa-sūtradhāra is a remarkable legacy of Bhoja whose rule was noted for splendour and grandeur together with liberality and catholicity. It is also a brilliant testimony to his grand and eloquent style not only in the field of the literature he produced but in every walk of life, the life of a benevolent king—his court, his administration, his patronage of art and literature, his ideal of social conduct and religious dedication.

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*It is on the nucleus of this study of Bhoja's Samarāṅgana-Sūtradhāra thet. I have instituted an extensive research under the general caption 'Bhāratīya Vāstuśāstra or Vāstuśāstra and have attempted a comprehensive survey of the whole branch of this technical lore—vide the series of my publications already refered to, in the Introduction. टि०--प्राचीनपुर-निवेशे राजहर्म्यादीनां सभान्यायालयवाजिशालागजशाल शालादीनां निवेशस्तु सर्वप्रधान आसीत् परमेतेषां समेषां निवेशनमत्रलक्षणे न दीयते लक्षणे तेषां प्रसङ्गत्वादिति ।

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We are familiar with the treatment of this subject of architecture, the Śilpa-śāstra or Vāstu-śāstra in the pre-Samarāṅgaṇa-works both architectural-proper like Mayamata, Mānasāra, etc. and non-architectural class of works like Bṛhatsaṃhitā, Matsya-purāṇa, Agni-purāṇa and so many other Purāṇas as well and Āgamas like Kāmika, Suprabheda and a host of others together with so many other miscellaneous treatises like Arthaśāstra of Kauṭilya, Śukra-nītisāra and a good number of religious treatises as well. Their scope of treatment is limited to what may be termed as architectural and sculptural topics. Take for instance the Mānasāra and it will be noticed that of the seventy chapters of the book the first eight are introductory, the next forty-two deal with architectural matters, and the last twenty are devoted to sculpture (see for details H. A. I. A. pp. 157-8)

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A brief notice of the contents of the chapters of the S. S. (vide the tabulations of the re-arranged chapters subject-wise in a chapter ahead) however, will give us an impression that it does not only treat the architectural subjects like Town-Planning, House-architecture, Temple-architecture, and sculptural subjects like Pratimā-lakṣaṇas iconography iconometry and iconoplastic art together with the Mudrās, the different hand poses, the poses of the body as well as the postures of legs, but it also deals with the canons of Painting and devotes a big chapter to the art of mechanical construction, the Yantras. Yantras and Citras are the two special features which it has introduced in the body of Śilpa-śāstra consistent with its very broad scope of architecture (cf. the chapter ahead).

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Thus it suffices here to say in this general introduction to the S. S. that out of its eighty-three chapters, in its first forty-eight chapters, it treats three principal subjects. Firstly in the first seven chapters together with the fortyfourth and fortyfifth, the introductory subjects like need, origin, schools, scope and subject-matter of architecture and qualifications of an architect are dealt with. Next follow the regional planning, the surveying of the land, the examination of the soil-conditions (Bhūparīkṣā 8) and the system of measurements (Hasta-Lakṣaṇa 9) and the detailed canons of town-planning (Puraniveśa 10) together with the site-plans (11 to 14 as well as 38), of the different categories of the Vāstu-padas fit to be employed in towns and temples as well as the houses residential and the palaces of kings. Thirdly, it deals with the house-architecture (civil arcitecture or popular architecture or more appropriately the secular architecture as opposed to religious or devotional architecture, the temple-architecture) in the subsequent thirty chapters.

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This house-architecture can be conveniently split up in two broad divisions of popular residential houses suited to the middle-class people both high and low according to the castes and professions (jātivarṇādhivāsa) and the Royal palaces best suited to the nobles and kings. To the former are devoted about twenty chapters in details of preliminaries like Āyādinirṇaya, Kīlaka-sūtrapāta, the first operations, foundation-laying ceremony (Śilānyāsa-vidhi) and offerings etc. (see for the detailed designations in the tabulation referred to, above); the categories and classifications of the residential houses, the Śālā-houses; the architectural details of planning and constructions, like the material, the masonry, the door, the pillar and decorations etc., and lastly, the mystic ideas associated with Hindu architecture like Vedha, Bhaṅga and defects (ibid).

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To the latter it devotes six chapters, out of which the fifteenth (Rājaniveśa) and thirtieth (Rājagṛha), all exclusively are devoted to the exposition of Palace-architecture, the planning of the Royal Palace (15) and different varieties of the palaces (30), both residential palaces (Nivāsa-bhavanāni) and pleasure-palaces (vilāsa-bhavanāni) together with their characteristics of architectural details of floors, pillars, storeys and ornamentation.

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The other remaining chapters may be taken to deal with the accessory buildings and the establishments of the royal palace, the Aśva-śālā (33), the gaja-śālā (32), the Sabhā (27), the assembly hall or council-chamber as well as the princely shrines and the palaces of the royal relatives and the other dignitories like commanders, priests and ministers, the Āyatana-niveśa (51).

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It gives an honoured place to the topic of Yantra-ghaṭanā, the art of mechanical construction (cf. the 31st chap.) delineating upon the definition of the yantra, its elements, qualities and manifold varieties of pleasure-machines, toy-machines, the machines of warfare as well as the domestic machines like Dvārapāla-yantra, the door-keeper-machine, Yodha-yantra, the soldier-machine, etc. and Vimāna-yantras (the aeroplanes) like Vyoma-cāri-vihaṅgama-yantra, wooden-bird-machine travelling in the sky and Ākāśagāmi-dārumayavimāna-yantra, wooden-vimāna, machine flying in the air together with a good many varieties of Vāri-yantra, water-machines, Dhārā-yantras the shower machines and the Ratha-dolā-yantras—the swinging machines.

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Further next it has also devoted a full chapter to the art of the construction of the articles of household furniture like cots and couches (Śayanāsana 29).

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Thus closes the general introduction to the subject-matter of architecture as treated in the first forty-eight (and 51st) chapters, in which canons of three principal topics of architecture namely, town-planning, house-architecture and construction of machines and articles of household furniture are delineated upon.

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In the next twenty chapters, it deals with temple-architecture, the most favourite theme of the author of the S. S. devoting about half of the work to the exposition of this most fascinating topic, the crown of Indian architecture, both in the monuments and the manuals alike, in all the details of the origin and development of the Prāsādas, the Hindu Temples, their manifold classifications, lay-outs, measurements, superstructure and the finial as well as the decorative motifs both of the central shrine, the Prāsāda, and the accessory buildings like Maṇḍapas, the pavilions, the places of piety and religious rites together with the Jagatīs, the raised platforms for congregational gatherings and social festivities, the basements of the temples, (cf. ahead for the detailed division of the subject chapter-wise—vide the tabulation of the re-arranged chapters).

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As regards the different styles of temple architecture, it has added two more to the ternary of Nāgara, Drāviḍa and Vāvāṭa (or Vairāṭa, Vesara, being conspicious by its absence in this manual) the Bhūmija and Lāṭa (though it does not use this last term), besides dwelling upon at length on the manifold temple-types, the jātis of the Prāsādas. All this will be dealt with in detail in its proper place (Pt. V.).

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In the last fourteen chapters (70 to 83) is treated Iconography both sculptural and pictorial. To the sculpture proper are devoted as many as eight chapters in details of the Pratimā-lakṣaṇa of the Liṅgas and their pedestals as well as of other principal gods and goddesses together with the standard measurements, mudras and defects of the icons sculptured or painted.

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To the Canons of Painting this text devotes six chapters (71 to 75 and 82 cf. the tabulation ahead). As already pointed out, the treatment of painting in this manual is its special feature and a full notice of its contribution is critically examined in the writer’s independent work ‘Hindu Canons of Painting or Citralakṣaṇam’.

(ii) The Method of Treatment

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Now with this general introduction to the work, I may proceed with the method of treatment to be attempted. While acquainting myself with the contents of the work and the objects found in the monuments representing all phases of evolution and development of Indian architecture with the help of the contemporary writings on architecture, I began to feel that perhaps all is not well. The subject of architecture being of a very technical nature, it is difficult to do full justice to it unless one has a body of scholars specialists in their own respective branches, History, Archaeology, Engineering, Drafting, Painting, Sculpture, Iconometry, etc. etc. This co-operative and co-ordinated venture is essential for a synthetic outlook in the architectural researches on this most fascinating branch of Indology. A merely textual treatment of the subject or one based on the study of the actual monuments can not give the full results. Both need to be correlated. I began to feel that for a scholar doing research on a work like this, a merely textual treatment of the subject will not do.

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That is, the study of a treatise on the science of architecture would be neither complete nor very much beneficial, unless we take into account the existing monuments and other specimens of buildings (such as are found in ancient paintings, and base-reliefs etc.) and make an attempt to evaluate how far these treatises were followed by the architects and their gurus, sthapatis and the Sthāpakas of the day—that is, again how far these works on Vāstu-śāstra were the standard compendiums and guide-books on architecture of the monumental buildings—the stupendous work of art-craftmanship. And conversely how far the contents—the innumerable varieties of classifications of buildings, their elaborate treatments, ornamental super-structures and different layouts and proportionate measurements of the temples and other buildings as depicted in them actually correspond to the facts. This treatment of the subject may be termed as the objective approach to Indian architecture as the true import of the term implies. It is both a science and art. I, therefore, may be permitted to remark that this synthetic point of view in the treatment of Indian architecture has been hardly followed by scholars. Though it is a fact that the traditional lore and practical guidance handed down from generation to generation in the families of the mason-architects scattered throughout this great land were a problem to tackle. The texts were distorted, the custodians illiterate;

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hence any grappling with this field of inquiry was beset with insurmountable difficulties. The result has been that Indian architecture as treated in the contemporary works, does not show its indigenous character. The avoiding of the dfficulty and pursuing the royal path of actually studying the existing monuments, little caring about the architectural traditions behind them, the Śāstric injunctions guiding them, are, in my opinion, only doing half the work. The limitations no doubt are obvious. The architectural survey by the Indologists in both the fields of textual and objective investigations of the subject suffered from this limitation. The monumental works of Havell, Smith, Coomarswamy, Furgussen and Burgess and other savants in the field, while investigating minutely the character, style and other allied details of the composition of the ancient and medieval monuments, have hardly given their serious thoughts to the manuals of architecture and their correspondence to the actual monuments. Dr. Acharya, while pioneering the investigation of a standard manual on architectural science, the Mānasāra, in as many as seven volumes, has hardly shown the correspondence of the Mānasāra mansions to the actual monuments. The intensive study of an architectural text like the S. S. and its commentary in the light of the existing monuments is the real approach to this difficult subject.

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Though it is very difficult to follow a middle path, the path of the synthetic treatment of the subject, in which the manuals and monuments both should receive due attention, I have set this ideal for myself, the following of which will be my life’s task.

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This is one aspect of the new investigation. The other aspect, which is equally essential, is the unfolding of the culture of which it is a representative, and I have never lost sight of the fundamental angle in my studies. We know that some of the basic conceptions of architecture are religious in character and the religious origin of Indian Architecture is well-known. This religious background of Indian architecture represents the broad cultural view of Hindu life. This point can be expanded very much, but our aim is only to hint at it as one of the important points of view in our study of these technical sciences.

(iii) Method of Study and the Re-arrangement of the S. S.

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Lastly in this introductory chapter, I ought to have indicated. the method of study I have followed in this work but this topic has. been dealt with in the “Introduction”. of this work.

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A special mention, in this connection, has to be made of the re-arrangement of the contents (chapter-wise) of the S. S. which I have made. It was necessitated, because the author being a king, the compilation and the arrangement might have been left to some of his assistants, or it might be a later mishap that the present arrangement is faulty and gives an impression that the work, especially the first 48 chapters of it, lack coherence, logical sequence and order (vide Dr. Acharya's notice of the S. S.—H. A. I. A. pp. 178-81). Hence an attempt at the re-arrangement of the chapters is made to rectify this defect—vide the chapter ‘The study of Hindu Science of Architecture.’ Thus in brief is indicated my humble attempt towards the great task of studying a technical work, making known to the public, its contributions in the realm of architecture. Whether I have been successful in interpretating the data faithfully and correctly or not, is for the scholars to judge. Fortunately many of them are living, and to them I owe a debt of gratitude, because, but for their pioneering work in this field, a scholar like myself with meagre resources could never have attempted the humble study of a great work. I am really very happy to remark that this study of Bhoja’s Samarāṅgaṇa-sūtradhāra has been acclaimed a pioneer work—vide the report of the examiners (extracts given in the Introduction).

Linked texts (27)

Agnipurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Kāmikāgama — Sanskrit
Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra — Bhoja, Sanskrit
Mānasāra — Sanskrit
Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit
Suprabhedāgama — Sanskrit
Mayamata — Maya, Sanskrit
Bṛhatsaṃhitā — Varāhamihira, Sanskrit
Tattvaprakāśa — Bhoja, Sanskrit
Śṛṅgāraprakāśa — Bhoja, Sanskrit
Bhāvaprakāśa — Bhāvamiśra 1550, Sanskrit
Siddhāntasārapaddhati — Bhoja, Sanskrit
Cārucaryā — Kṣemendra, Sanskrit
Śṛṅgāramañjari — Tāḷḷapāka Annamācārya, Telugu
Cāṇakyarājanītiśāstra — Sanskrit
Abhijñānaśākuntala — Kālidāsa, Sanskrit
Ādityapratāpasiddhānta — Bhojarāja, Sanskrit
Sarasvatīkaṇṭhābharaṇa (grammar) — Bhoja, Sanskrit
Śukranīti (Śukrācārya) — Śukrācārya, Sanskrit
Mādhavacikitsā — Mādhava Bhaṭṭa, Sanskrit
Kandarpacūḍāmaṇi — Vīrabhadra(deva) 1577, Sanskrit
Campūrāmāyaṇa — Sanskrit
Śivatattvaratnakālikā — Kṛṣṇānanda Sarasvatī 1585, Sanskrit
Rājamṛgāṅka — Bhoja, Sanskrit
Nāmamālikā — Bhoja, Sanskrit
Prāyaścittaviveka (Śūlapāṇi) — Śūlapāṇi, Sanskrit