Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c6.s3.144

c6.s3.144

Of secular architecture, we have nothing much to say, over and above what has been already said as regards ‘housing’ and village-construction, as also the fortifications of a city. The mention of the Vatthuvijjācariyas or men qualified for testing sites for house-building⁹ and of Vissakammā, the Divine Architect,¹⁰ sufficiently shows the importance of secular architectural science. The existence of great halls and palaces cannot be doubted. The cyclopean walls of Old Rājagaha, frequently occurring in the stories, are undoubtedly very ancient.¹¹ The rativaddhanapāsāda and the pupphakapāsāda as also the iron-palace—ayoghara—are mentioned.¹² We hear of palaces resting on a single pillar (*ekathūnaka-pāsāda*).¹ Some palaces had huge octagonal stone-columns (*silāthambhe*) numbering one thousand.² Several architectural terms seem to be not devoid of interest:³ *Koṭṭhaka* is usually ‘gatehouse’;⁴ *Koṭṭhāgāra* is a store house,⁵ but *Kūṭāgāra* generally means a house with a finial or roof ridge:⁶ *Pañjara* has the double significance of ‘attic’ and ‘dormer-window,’⁷ and *Kaṇṇikā* is connected with the rafters (*gopāṇasiyo*) and is to be seen from within the house by looking up: it is probably always ornamented, very likely representing an inverted lotus. It is distinct from the rest of the roof. It is patera.⁸