History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c96.s1.97

v7.c96.s1.97

Some of the Purāṇas contain information on the above topics. The Matsyapurāṇa (chap. 252. 2-4) names 18 expounders of Vāstuśāstra (architecture) such as Bhṛgu, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Viśvakarman, Maya, Nārada, Nagnajit, Viśālākṣa, Purandara, Brahmā, Kumāra, Nandīśa, Śaunaka, Garga, Vāsudeva, Aniruddha, Śukra and Bṛhaspati. Chapters 253-257 deal with the construction of mansions and houses, chap. 258-263 with images of several deities The Vāyupurāṇa (8. 108 ff.) describes the founding of a capital. Agnipurāṇa, chapters 42, 104-106 deal with the building of mansions, houses and laying out cities. The Viṣṇudharmottara (third section) is called *citrasūtra*²⁶³² because dancing is held to be the primary art and painting rests on it. It is further said that painting is the best of arts (III. 33. 38) and the foremost of auspicious things in a house, that the rules that apply to painting are applicable to the making of images of metals, stone and wood (III. 43. 31-32). Chapters 36-43 deal with painting, chapters 44-85 with the making of images of gods and goddesses and housebuilding is dilated upon in chap. 86 ff. The Bṛhat-saṁhitā (ed. by M. M. Sudhakar Dvivedi, 1895) of Varāhamihira (500-550 A.D.) deals with palaces, mansions and houses of king, crown prince and others; in chap. 52 (123 verses) with temples of several gods, in chap. 53 (31 verses) with images of gods, in chap. 57 (Rāma, Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Indra, Śiva, Buddha, Jina, the Sun, Liṅga, Mother Goddesses, Yama), with images or statues of five kinds of men (chap. 68 verse 30) called Haṁsa, Śaśa, Rucaka, Bhadra and Mālavya and their bodily features.