The Shulbasutras of Baudhayana, Apastamba, Katyayana and Manava: With Text, English Translation and Commentary c8.t11: Chapter 13: The Construction of a Fire-Altar in the Form of an Alaja Bird

The Śulbasūtras of Baudhāyana, Āpastamba, Kātyāyana and Mānava: With Text, English Translation and Commentary c8.t11

Language: English

Chapter 13: The Construction of a Fire-Altar in the Form of an Alaja Bird

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**13.1-13.5.** *Areas and shapes of the different parts.* This altar in the form of the *alaja* bird should be without feet. Its wings are also to be constructed in a somewhat different manner. The areas given are :

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| The head— | 5 | pañcamīs or sq. aratnis. |
| The body— | 52 | ” ” |
| The tail — | 15 | ” ” |
| Two wings, 2 × 63 — | 126 | ” ” |
| | — | |
| Total : | 198 | ” ” |

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As the total area of the fire-altar must be 187½ *pañcamīs* or sq. *aratnis*, 10½ *pañcamīs* are to be removed from the wings. The construction of the wing and the method of removing the excess area are explained in 13.3-13.5, 13.6 (part).

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The area of each wing being 63 *pañcamīs* and 6 plumages, each of half-*pañcamī*, needing an area of 3 *pañcamīs* only by analogy with the *kaṅkacit* wing, the rectangular area forming the main part of the wing to be bent should measure 60 *pañcamīs* or 6 *aratnis* × 10 *aratnis* (144 *aṅg.* × 240 *aṅg.*). *ABCD* is such a rectangle of which AB = 144 *aṅg.* and BC = 240 *aṅg.*. After bending, it assumes the form *ABECDF* so that EP = IF = 120 *aṅg.* IE clearly equals 24 *aṅg.* or 1 *aratni*. The *patras* are DK₁L₁, L₁K₂L₂ etc. From the geometry it is clear that *I*, *J*, L₅ *H* lie on the same straight line. Hence the direction (rule 13.4) that, by stretching a cord *IH*, the area *IECH* west of the southern half of the wing including the *patras* should be cut off. The area of the wing south of the *nirṇāma* line *EF* is 33 *pañcamī* and that of IECH 33 / 6 or 5½ *pañcamī*. The first line of rule 13.6 prescribes that a triangular area *EIJ* measuring a quarter brick, that is ¼ *pañcamī* is to be added. In other words, the actual area to be removed is *ECHJ* measuring (5½ - ¼) or 5¼ *pañcamī*; for two wings the area to be removed is 10½ *pañcamī*.

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Fig. 49. Wing of the *alaja* fire-altar

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Fig. 50. Arrangement of bricks in the *alaja* fire-altar—1st layer (southern wing only).

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**13.6.** *(remaining part). Placement of bricks in the two layers.* For the placement of bricks, only B₁, B₂, B₃ and B₆, as described for the *kaṅkacit*, are required and not B₄ (*aṣṭamī*) and B₅ (*caturaśra-pādyā*), because the fire-altar is without feet and B₄ and B₅ bricks are needed to cover them.

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For the first layer, the placement of bricks in the head, the body and the tail is the same as that for the first layer of the *kaṅkacit*. The arrangement in the wing is shown in Fig. 50, and the number of bricks and their types used in the different parts are given in Table 11.

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TABLE 11. *Bricks in different parts of the alaja fire-altar—1st layer.*

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| Parts of the *citi* | Brick type | | | | Total |
| | B₁ | B₂ | B₃ | B₆ | |
| Head | 4 | 2 | | | 6 |
| Body | 48 | 8 | | | 56 |
| Tail | 12 | 6 | | | 18 |
| Wings with *patras* | 48 | 38 | 2 | 32 | 120 |
| Total | 112 | 54 | 2 | 32 | 200 |

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In the second layer, the arrangement of bricks in the head, the body, the two junction layers between the body and the wings and the junction layer between the body and the tail is the same as that of the *kaṅkacit*. In the tail also it is the same except at the end layer owing to the absence of the feet. This end layer is covered by 15 B₃s (Fig. 51).

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In each wing (the southern one is here discussed), the arrangement is as follows:
(a) At the layer along the bending (*nirṇāma*), east-west —\ B₁ = 4 ; B₃ = 1 ; B₆ = 1 ; total — 6.
(b) In the 4 layers north of the *nirṇāma*, there are—\ 4 B₆s in each layer ; total — 16.
(c) In the junction layer between wing and body—\ B₃ - 1 ; B₆ = 4 ; total — 5.
(d) In the 4 layers south of the *nirṇāma*, each contains\ 2 B₁s in the middle, 1 B₆ each at east and west end —\ B₁ = 8 ; B₆ - 8 ; total — 16.
(e) In the plumages (*patras*), as in *kaṅkacit*—\ B₂ - 5 ; B₃ - 10 ; total — 15.\ The total for the southern wing, including the junction layer : 58\ The total for the northern wing including the junction layer : 58\ —\ 116\ —

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The arrangement of bricks in the wing and the tail is shown in Fig. 51. Table 12 gives the number and types of bricks used in different parts of the fire-altar.

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Fig. '51. Arrangement of bricks in the southern wing and the tail, including the junction layers, of an *alaja* fire-altar—2nd layer (other parts not shown); (a) southern wing with junction layer with body, (b) tail with junction layer with body.

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TABLE 12. *Bricks in different parts of the alajacit—2nd layer.*

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| Parts of the *citi* | Brick type | | | | Total |
| | B₁ | B₂ | B₃ | B₆ | |
| Head, including part of body | | 2 | 9 | 2 | 13 |
| Body, excluding junction layers with wings | 35 | 4 | | 4 | 43a |
| Junction layer between body and tail | 1 | 2 | 2 | | 5 |
| Tail | | 2 | 15 | 6 | 23b |
| Two wings, including junction layers with body | 24 | 10 | 24 | 58 | 116 |
| Total | 60 | 20 | 50 | 70 | 200 |

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a D. mentions 46 bricks which are made up by adding 3 bricks from the junction layer with the tail.

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b D. mentions 25 bricks which are made up by adding 2 B₂s from the junction layer with the body. \* After explaining the arrangement, as explained above, the commentator mentions 5 bricks for the head and 167 for the body, which is inconsistent, although it can be done by replacing 1 *B*₁ by 2 *B*₂s in the body.