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Understanding the Vastu shastra: city planning in walled city of Jaipur

Article · February 2022

DOI: 10.53136/97912599480766

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 DOI 10.53136/97912599480766

UNDERSTANDING THE VASTU SHASTRA:

CITY PLANNING IN WALLED CITY OF JAIPUR

SAMIDHA MAHESH PUSALKAR

Affiliation during research: Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, England
Current affiliation: PhD student in Preservation of Architectural Heritage, 36° cycle,
Department of Architecture and Urban studies, Politecnico di Milano
Head prof. Mariacristina Giambruno, Supervisor prof. Stefano Francesco Musso

[email protected]

Accepted: January 10, 2022

ABSTRACT
This paper examines and takes precedents from the concept and application of Vastu Shastra in the
walled city of Jaipur situated in the Rajasthan state of India, planned by architect Vidyadhar in 1700s.
The study puts emphasis on the architecture and planning of cities through the context of the Vastu
Shastra guidelines while understanding its urban context and further explores the interrelation
between those guidelines and sustainability to investigate potential approaches. This is due to an
absence in attempting to develop a sustainable urban planning system based on the principles of
Vastu Shastra. With the case study of walled city of Jaipur, the paper aims to start a conversation
among experts where all these aspects of Vastu Shastra guidelines can be studied in detail, especially
to design new infrastructures within the historic cities by applying the knowledge of the historic,
architectural, and urban planning philosophies in India.

Keywords: Vastu Shastra, Jaipur, Heritage, Jaipur, City design, City planning.

The entire historic walled city of Jaipur in the Rajasthan state of India was planned carefully with complex
detailing using Vastu Shastra principles from the outset. Every component of the city’s form was assembled to
make a completely sustainable and futuristic vision that retained its own character and significance to play an
important role in creating the city’s identity. However, due to rapid urbanisation, mostly after 1947 (post-
independence), new infrastructure developments and extensions failed to consider the existing architectural and
historic identity of the city. Lack of development regulations, encroachments, unplanned and unregulated urban
extensions started affecting the overall historic built fabric of the walled city and made it unsustainable in many
ways (Agrawal, 1993). Many newspaper articles in recent years also covered the current conditions and sufferings
of the historic fabric of the walled city which give more insight on the matter. In the last few decades, the entire
development pattern of the city’s architecture underwent a drastic shift which changed the socio-economic
culture and lifestyle of people. Therefore, it is now necessary to address these concerns and find a way to come up
with sustainable solutions.
Given the Vastu Shastra’s role in the origins of the walled city of Jaipur and its symbiotic relationship with
nature, this situation opens a window of opportunity for built environment professionals and scholars to explore
the ancient texts associated with the Vastu Shastra to determine whether they have a role to play in the twenty-
first century. By taking precedents from the walled city’s original town planning by Vidyadhar, new ways might
be learned to safeguard Jaipur’s urban heritage and make the current city more sustainable.

VASTU SHASTRA
According to P K Archarya (1981, p.14) “Vastu is the art of living in harmony with the land, such that one
derives the greatest benefits and prosperity from being in perfect equilibrium with Nature”. Vastu Shastra is
literally translated as ‘Science of Architecture’ because in Sanskrit ‘Vastu’ means ‘architecture’ and ‘Shastra’
means ‘science’. It dates back to almost 1500 BCE to 500 BCE, which is known as the Vedic period. The reference
of Vastu Shastra can be found in ancient scriptures like the Rig Veda, Atharvaveda, Ramayana, Mahabharata,
Mayamatam, Manasa saar, etc. According to Reena Patra (2008), “The
Rig Veda, where the protector of the house (Vastospati) is invoked (Rig Veda, VII. 54. 1)”. The texts are said to
have found in the Sthapatya Veda which is a subordinate to Atharva Veda. For centuries, Indian people
depended on literary references of Vastu Shastra to plan architectural elements from cities to palaces, temples,
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houses etc. They have had a considerable influence when it comes to the design and planning of cities in India
that are symbiotic with nature.
Mostly written in Sanskrit language, these texts are found all over India, and incorporate the cultural, regional
and geographical contexts of their locations. So, for example, a text from the hot and arid region of Rajasthan
discusses aspects of construction in stone, while one from wet and humid Kerala will pay more attention to
construction in timber. Furthermore, these texts consist of references from other ancient texts like Ayurveda
(medicine), Jamiti (Geometry), numerology, astrology and Vedas. They are written by several professionals such
as architects, priests and mathematicians to include multiple perspectives. Socio-political, religious and economic
situations of the present, past and future were taken into consideration while writing these texts to target a wider
audience. Later, they were reinterpreted and re-written by many experts in various professional contexts
according to the needs and understandings of clients and designers.
Sadly, the original Vastu Shastra texts are now extinct, however, even today, the knowledge survives in the
hands of guild systems incorporating priests and craftsmen. The knowledge was passed to them through
previous generations by putting the learnt theories into practice. These experts were not needed to be literate to
understand the workings of Vastu Shastra. They adapted the content and developed it through their architectural
and design practice to exhibit as examples for future generations. Even then, every design concept was developed
from a philosophical frame, with the phenomena of “Existence, Space and Time” as per ancient texts. Moreover,
they continued respecting previously laid out principles of shapes.1 Proportions2, orientation3 and values4 that
define design specifications using concise and prescriptive codes–a kind of three-dimensional theoretical system
of instructions in which the concept unfolds to become a context-specific interpretation.
The diversity of traditional design found in India's abundant, secular, royal and religious systems bears
witness to this versatility of these guidelines, whilst the stylistic consistency of specific types or regions shows the
rigour with which these guidelines were applied.5

Fig.1. Bramhamandala (Chakrabarti, 1998, p.10)

VASTU SHASTRA AND MODERN ARCHITECTURE

Just like modern architecture, Vastu Shastra also seeks to achieve harmony between spaces. Both deal with the
constructed elements, cosmic spaces and earthly spaces. However, it is also important to acknowledge that
modern architecture mostly emphasises ‘economy and lifestyle’ and lesser on psychological and spiritual needs of
individuals unlike, Vastu Shastra. This itself is one reason why Vastu Shastra is overlooked. As the times
changed, western ideologies took over and this very important part of India’s history started to fade. The science
which was practiced before throughout India ended up having a tag of ‘pseudo-science’. One might compare this
situation with what happened to Ayurveda (ancient Indian science of medicine) when Allopathy became
dominant in India.
Thus, nowadays, use of the word ‘traditional’ equates with pre-modern architectural practices such as Vastu
Shastra, which is distinct from the new institutionalized and homogenized practice that was introduced in the
early to mid-twentieth century. Within this brief time frame – which saw the mushrooming of new architecture
schools, newly trained architects returning from study abroad, and the building of the iconic modernist city like
Chandigarh amid strong political support, the process of marginalizing Vastu Shastra was complete. The
traditional builder and the ‘city’ architect grew further away from each other in terms of both training and
practice. Vastu Shastra was never incorporated into the curriculum of architecture schools, and the situation
today remains unchanged. The entire infrastructure of the planning authorities, design and building processes,

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and the provision of materials caters to an industry that is entirely different and separate from traditional
practice. If there was ever a modernist dream to wipe the slate clean of all traces of tradition, it was nowhere more
vigorously attempted than in India. Traditional building typologies and methods were drowned under the
euphoric wave of new building styles and technologies that swept the country in the mid-twentieth century.
This resulted in the fragments of traditional knowledge and practice such as Vastu Shastra being ignored by
the formalized professions associated with the built environment. There are key differences between traditional
and modern approaches towards design methods. Those differences lie in all areas of architectural design and
organisation, including how space is measured and distributed, as well as how materials are treated and used.
The differences even extend to how space is represented in drawings and eventually understood in modern
architectural practice and Vastu Shastra. A list of these differences goes further, however, it is necessary to
understand that both practices aim for the same things as mentioned before and they indeed can be practiced
together or at least survive with one another in this modern society. Jaipur is one such example, where the
historic walled city, built according to Vastu Shastra, still exists unharmed while modern architectural practices
are being used to build new infrastructure.

HISTORIC BACKGROUND OF JAIPUR

Fig.2. Map of walled city of Jaipur (Doshi & Chauhan, 1989, p.9)

To move from texts to examples of practice, the walled city of Jaipur (founded in 1727 AD) remains a living
testimony to the application of the pre-modern system of urban design. George Mitchell (2011), a well-known
British historian claims that any research related to the architecture and symbolism of Asian cities must refer to
the case of the walled city in Jaipur. According to him, “It is not only the best-preserved example in India of a
town laid out according to traditional Hindu theory but embodies ideas that may have travelled to India by way
of the Islamic invasion, and which are pre-Islamic in origin. These ideas are concerned with linking the city with
the heavens, either by recreating the structure of the universe in the form of a sacred mandala or by incorporating
into the city how the heavens may be observed, and the movement of stars measured.”
Set on a flat site that gently slopes towards the north, with hills to its north-west and east, and a trading
highway to its south, Jaipur was established by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (r. 1699–1743) to perform the dual
functions of a royal capital and a commercial centre. As per the norms of Vastu Shastra, the temple of the royal

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household and the palace are placed in the centre of the nine-square mandala (Fig 2), with the city around it. The
principal streets run east–west and north–south; they are lined with shops and intersect at crossroads where the
main open markets are located. The quarters of the city are further divided by lanes and alleys. Each quarter is
dedicated to the production and sale of specific crafts, and the principal lane of each quarter serves as its bazaar
outlet.
The habitation of the city was conducted in a controlled and coordinated fashion, and following the standards
of Vastu Shastra especially according to Mandala and Prastara principles. First, the principal roads and quarters
were demarcated, using the concept of the mandala, and the plots and shops were laid out within it. Leading
merchants and craftsmen from the region and beyond were invited to settle in the city to produce and market
their goods. Initially, the traders sold high-value commodities from a variety of sources, but as the goods
produced in Jaipur itself became known for their excellent craftsmanship; the authorities required the traders to
concentrate on these local manufactures. This meant that customers came to Jaipur to buy the well-known ‘made
in Jaipur’ objects, thereby raising the city’s profile from being one among many trading towns to becoming the
best place to shop. Thus, ‘who would live in Jaipur, what would they do for a living, where would they sell their
produce’ were all matters that were carefully addressed and planned for beforehand. The result was a vibrant
mix with an astounding number of craft skills. Apart from a strong commercial identity, Jaipur has a distinct
visual identity.
The city was built at a time when the hold of the Mughal empire which had been the largest power base in
India for the preceding two hundred years was on the decline. The Mughals built their forts and palaces in red
sandstone and marble which was the more expensive marble-reserved for royal use. The visual identity of the
stronghold of power was of impenetrable fort walls of red sandstone, with Delhi and Agra forts being the key
examples. Jaipur thus is built from a material that looks like red sandstone, but is in fact much cheaper plastered
rubble, coloured terracotta. The southern side of Jaipur – the longest side of the city’s site – abuts a major Mughal
highway, a road that connects Delhi with the important Mughal pilgrimage site at Ajmer, and which was used for
trade and transport between the two Mughal centres. The façade lining the highway presented a formidable
frontage, expressive of the prestige of a royal walled city. The palace in the centre of the city uses lime stucco
plaster that is reminiscent of marble. Apart from the terracotta colour-wash, the city’s principal streets have a
uniformity of scale and design that create a visual coherence that lends Jaipur its unique identity. The key factor
that was instrumental in making all this happen and in maintaining the city’s reputation was its capable
administration, by ministers appointed by the court. Such ministers drew on the expertise contained in traditional
coding. The minister involved in the layout of the city, Vidyadhar, though identified in the modern popular
imagination as an ‘architect’ was simply applying the coding principles of Vastu Shastra.

CONCEPT AND APPLICATION OF VASTU SHASTRA IN THE WALLED CITY OF JAIPUR

The walled city of Jaipur is mainly based on two Vastu Shastra principles- Vastu-purusha Mandala and
Prastara.

1. Vastu-purusha Mandala

Fig. 3. Vastu Purusha in a grid (Chakrabarti, 1998, p.85)

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Fig. 4. Vastu Purusha Mandala (Chakrabarti, 1998, p.84)

In the Indian representation of Vastu Shastra, a square signifies a spiritual world where the gods are properly
positioned over the Mandala. This proves Mandala’s importance not only in Jaipur but also in reference to Indian
town planning and architecture as a whole. Volwahsen (1969) explains this further in ‘City and Temple layout:
The vision of a Cosmic Plan’. He states that "The Vastu-purusha mandala is an image of the laws governing the
cosmos, to which men are just as subject as in the earth in which they build. In their activity as builders, men
order their environment in the same way as once in the past Brahma forced the undefined purusha into a
geometric form. For the architect, building is an act of bringing disordered existence into conformity with basic
laws that govern it. This can only be achieved by making each monument, from the hermit's retreat to the layout
of a city, follow exactly the magic diagram of the Vastu-purusha mandala (Fig 4)."

Prastara
A town or city planned according to Prastara is either a square or a rectangle. This is further divided into 4,9
or 16 wards with roads running from east to west and north to south. The walled city of Jaipur is planned with
the use of this principle. A chessboard-like pattern is used to plan the inner roads of the wards and the size of
plots is used to decide the spaces among roads. It was also planned in such a way that the people with higher
ranks would reside in the larger wards and small wards would be inhabited by people with lower ranks. This
aspect of planning was very obvious as almost all the ancient texts support this division of land which is based on
caste and class systems of that time. These Prastara concepts were taken from the Mansara texts. This theory is
supported by many interpretations by architects from Sushant School of Architecture, which have been most
commonly accepted. According to Kohli and Singh (2011), “the city's structure could be described as a grid iron
resulting from the orthogonal clustering of square sectors along with Prastara pattern. The major east-west road
from Surajpol to Chandpol, and three north-west roads divide the city into 8 district sectors which are known as
Chowkris”. There are multiple advantages of this planning as the people don’t face the low angle sun in early
mornings and late evening hours- timings during sunrise and sunset. Also, it allows early morning sunrays on
the buildings while avoiding evening sun in the summertime.
Vastu Shastra principle of maintaining the continuum (Anukram) and connection among spatial networks
such as Chowkris, streets, residential and commercial areas is followed throughout the walled city. This is due to
the belief that gods have created this universe where everything plays an important role and is connected. This
also explains why Vastu Shastra principles are applied on every scale of planning in Jaipur- from designing the
city’s outer shape and buildings to the smaller features in the streetscape designing.

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VASTU SHASTRA AND PARALLEL PHILOSOPHIES

Though Mandala and Prastara designs in Vastu Shastra are archetypal patterns that are a very common
architectural layout in India, this pattern of concentric grids is found in many cultures in Europe, Egypt, America
and Asia as well. Step Pyramids in Egypt or Ancient Chinese city planning methods are some of the key
examples. Especially, Feng Shui6, a traditional Chinese pseudo-scientific doctrine of “geomancy” shows many
similarities that can be compared with Vastu Shastra guidelines. Feng Shui’s design of Eight Trigrams and Yin-
Yang and the Vastu Shastra Mandala depict similar ideologies. Many believe that the concepts of Vastu Shastra
were transferred and interpreted into literary works in Tibet, South-East Asia and finally to China and Japan
where it might have provided the base for the development of Feng Shui. However, apart from similarities, there
are some differences in both philosophies as Vastu Shastra is seen as a text of guidelines for design, art,
architecture and even bio construction, but Feng Shui is unfortunately only accepted as an art of arrangement,
ignoring its potential for city planning. Moreover, in terms of higher purposes, Feng Shui attempts to harness the
positive energy in the built and natural environment in which we live or work while avoiding or reducing those
that are detrimental to our health and success. Vastu encourages the same, but its ultimate goal is based on
deeper spirituality. Through the built form, it attempts to connect the yogi with his soul and creates the optimum
spatial circumstances for his journey of unification with the Self.
Vastu Shastra’s designs, especially of Mansara postulates were found to be extremely similar to the Greek’s
classical guidelines based on human proportions. Likewise, the book “De architectura” written by the famous
Roman architect, Vitruvius (1st century) precisely describes the Vastu Purusha or as he defines it as “Vitruvian
Man” which was later famously sketched by Leonardo da Vinci. A similar concept is even seen in recent times, in
the works of Le Corbusier while developing his proportion system called Le Modulor. With these parallel
philosophies, it is seen that similar architectural ideologies have been used in many parts of the world, even
today. Thus, it would be crucial to know Vastu Shastra’s potential in contemporary architectural design.

VASTU SHASTRA IN CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT

To further understand the possible opportunities of applications of Vastu Shastra principles in a
contemporary context, it is necessary to understand Vastu Shastra’s modern context.
A detailed literature review7 suggests a common practice where the experts who reference and use Vastu
Shastra can be recognised as either 'Indian' architects such as B V Doshi (1989), Kulbhushan Jain (1994) and
Vibhuti Sachdev (2002)- who make categorical references of Vastu Shastra’s vocabulary or Vastu experts such as P
K Acharya (1834) and recently Arun Naik (2008) who provide guidance mostly about specific orientation
principles and layouts of architectural elements. Then come the astrologers in India in general- who consider
Vastu Shastra to be a part of Indian astrology and spirituality. This situation explains why the argument of the
redundancy of traditional architecture in the contemporary context is one of the favourite arguments of modern
architects in India. Their judgement is based on strict functional parameters that consider traditional texts such as
Vastu Shastra to be outdated. In the process of urbanisation, modern architects bypass the corpus of Vastu
Shastra and its traditional practitioners. They instead draw upon the built representations of an architectural
programme that is different from Vastu Shastra. This is evident with the cases such as the Jaipur Metro line
project and the Jaipur Smart city project that took place in the last 5 years where multiple historic buildings and
architectural elements were demolished (The Times of India, 2015). The insensitive actions taken while executing
the projects gave no importance to the existing layouts of the walled city’s Vastu Shastra or to its history itself.
In addition to these situations, the projection of Vastu Shastra as a religious tradition rather than an
architectural methodology makes the task of contemporary application more difficult. Although communities of
different religious beliefs, like the Buddhists, Jains and Muslims, have adapted the prescriptions of Vastu Shastra
according to their needs and revealing its strength in continuity, its projection particularly as a 'Hindu' tradition
today, gives it an orthodox connotation.
Vibhuti Chakrabarti (1998) in the book ‘Indian Architectural Theory: Contemporary Uses of Vastu Vidya’
mentions that “The Vastu Vidya tradition was never static; that it was never simply or monolithically 'ancient', for
it always incorporated change; that it showed itself capable of adapting to different circumstances across regions
and through the course of many centuries, without abandoning its essential integrity. Therefore, there is no
logical reason why more recent changes should present a threat to that integrity or unity, unless we choose to let
them.” This argument is strongly supported by the case of the walled city of Jaipur.
Many experts still believe that Vastu-Purusha-Mandala was used as a ‘principle’ while designing Jaipur.
However, it is crucial to understand that they are mere guidelines for the ground plans. All the interpretations of
Jaipur’s city planning suggest that accommodating nine square grids of Mandala was impossible for Vidhyadhara
due to the location of the city (Fig 5 and Fig 6). Thus, he used the Vastu Shastra principle as a template rather than
a strict rule to be followed. The same concept can be followed even in modern designing by architects and experts
where they can mould the Vastu Shastra principles according to the needs and make architecture sustainable.
With the dual potential of re-interpreting the old buildings and conceptualising the new infrastructure, Vastu
Shastra will get used the way it was supposed to from the outset. This gives more value to the debate of
contemporary uses of Vastu Shastra if framed as academic knowledge. With the technological and social change,
it will then become possible to break the misconception of Vastu Shastra’s application.

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This possibility also opens a debate on whether it can or should be used in the upcoming phases of the Jaipur
Metro project and the Smart city project. For example, designing the new metro lines according to the existing
grid layout or creating a new underground layout specifically for metro- lines using Vastu Shastra guidelines
seem to be a way to start with. Ideas such as these would indeed require a detailed study of all possible planning
options however, the inclusion of traditional Vastu guidelines in new infrastructure planning would surely create
an interesting blend of architectural form, which has never been done before in India.

Fig. 5. Jaipur’s city planning (Chakrabarti, 1998, p.92).

Fig. 6. Accommodating Mandala plan for Jaipur (Chakrabarti,1998, p.127)

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VASTU SHASTRA AND SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable development and Vastu Shastra represent two different but interrelated ways of human activities
in a built environment. Sustainability focuses on development goals and Vastu Shastra focuses on monitoring
negative impacts. Sustainability emphasises principles that adapt to minimal disruption when it comes to open
spaces or buildings. On the other hand, Vastu Shastra’s main concept is to promote a harmonious human-
environment relationship that contributes to sustainable development. Thus, it becomes possible for us to link
Vastu Shastra principles while planning for sustainable design. This inter-relation becomes clearer especially in
Reena Patra’s research (2009) where she explores more in detail about this subject and discusses how a
sustainable living environment can be created based on the Indian traditional knowledge, its heritage and culture.
An approach like this requires a suitable legislative and economic environment in which people, communities
and enterprises can be empowered to contribute towards achieving sustainable development goals. Vastu Shastra
principle of Mandala or Vastu-Purusha-Mandala can again be of great help while planning for sustainability in
such cases. Water, light, wind, fire, biodiversity etc are some of the central ideas of Vastu-Purusha-Mandala
principle that are required to meet the natural needs of the human settlements and are inherent to the traditional
architectural programme. Currently, the walled city of Jaipur is the only surviving example where Vastu Shastra
principles were used for sustainable designing in the 18th century.
For thousands of years, Vastu architecture has been a precedent of sustainability. Vastu Shastra refers to many
sustainability components. For example, Vastu Shastra has created its own technique of measurements to obtain
the Vastu effect in a building- there is a calculation system for a “building's age” known as Ayul (Singal and
Singal, 2015). It refers to the length of time the building can emit life to sustain its energy. In other words, how
long the building's energy resources will last, and thus encourage well-being. Furthermore, Vastu Shastra even
describes unique site selection techniques such as locations for water bodies, power resources, wells and many
other attributes that contribute to sustainability.
Similar ideas are found in the works of Dr Sthapati (1996).8 According to him, “Well-being is not due only to
the amount of air inside the home, but the amount of purity of vital energy in the air (prana shakti) that
encompasses inside and outside the house. This is only regulated and unobstructed by mathematical order.” He
further mentions his theory of ‘spirit centric science’ which is very similar to the idea of correlating the key
principles of Vastu Shastra and sustainability. He believes that “To go directly into the very heart of Nature, to
know its features and functional processes, to frame them into mathematical laws so as to constitute an infallible
grammar to create objects in accordance with that grammar, to infuse the very Nature into those objects so as to
be in total harmony with it....that is spirit centric science (1996, p.37)”.
To understand this concept in detail, it is important to look at the specific elements of Vastu Shastra that are a
vital part of sustainability designs as well. According to the Hindu texts, Vastu Shastra believes in performing a
particular set of tests and inspections to decide the building site. They include (Mercay, 2016): “Shape of site and
rectification, underground water flow test, soil test for toxicity, compactness, colour and even taste, sound test,
ambience and feeling of happiness, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, streams or ponds in nearby areas,
vegetation analysis, visual inspection for bones, grave sites, insects and slopes”. Then, after deciding the building
site, again a certain set of design elements are taken into consideration while planning the built space for human
settlement. They include: “Placement of building on plot, orientation of building to cardinal directions and
declination, finding true north, patterns for house building, proportions of building (length/width), Ayadi
calculations, nakshatra, conversion of space to energy grid (9 x 9), identification of Brahmasthan, placement of
doors, walls and extensions, building materials and paint colours, calculations of wall and ceiling height,
windows, pillars and ventilators, roof pitch and proportions of staircase, bathrooms, toilet, utility room, fireplace,
stove and sink, hot water heater and furnace, incoming water (well), drainage systems, garage, driveways, energy
wall placements for electricity, oil tank, gas, plants and trees surrounding building and finally the guest or
employee quarters (Mercay, 2016).”
After these considerations, it is evident that Vastu Shastra considers many similar elements that any
sustainability designer or architect would. Moreover, the same methods mentioned above were used in practice
by Vidhyadhara in 1827 while planning the walled city of Jaipur-which stands today as a testimony to it. A well-
planned and proportionate grid system, Chowkris that act as intersections and the water tanks at Suraj Pole and
Chand Pole providing water supply, underground drainage, driveways in the walled city are some of the key
examples that further support this claim.
This case study of the walled city of Jaipur thus opens an opportunity to consider Vastu Shastra as a principle
that will not make rules, however, would instead guide on human settlements and policy-making- giving
different guidelines for different lands and different uses. With this, the transforming habitat and potentially
humanising our relations in the built environment can be achieved. ‘Vastu style of living’-as one may call it,
would further promote productive human settlements where communities, production areas, workshops and
gardens will be significant components in the design and grouping of homes.

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CONCLUSION
Although the impact of modern architectural theories is widespread, regional responses by definition are
place specific. The Indian context, for example, is vastly different from that of the UK and the USA. Thus, any set
of new urban codes developed in these cultures and from their traditions would be unlikely to produce the
desired result in India. Here, the potential to use India’s own traditional architectural codes for modern and
sustainable architecture becomes more sensible. Traditional building systems are part of living heritage in India,
despite struggling under the weighty presence of modern architectural practices.
In the contemporary context, there has yet to be an earnest attempt at developing an urban planning system
based on the principles of Vastu Shastra. The application of the past to present design so far has been limited to
the abstracting and reinventing spatial and decorative motifs from traditional buildings. This technique is hardly
an application of the process of traditional design and is sometimes falsely claimed. A successful updating of
traditional principles for contemporary use can be achieved only by focusing on the method of design. An
application of the design process would generate an architecture that is not self-consciously atavistic and dated
but is at ease with modern requirements and technology. This process would have to involve a multi-disciplinary
approach to community design, taking indigenous models as the starting point. Unlike the modern system, where
the individual architect uses architectural drawings to create static forms, the emphasis would be more on the
design codes or guidelines of Vastu Shastra, which establish strategies for collaborative work, leading to dynamic
forms. Some of the specific tools of Vastu Shastra such as the Vastu-Purusha-Mandala, can be applicable to
contemporary design because of their inherent flexibility as seen with the example of the walled city. To date, the
Mandala has been invoked only in a modern way, whereas its original use and greater potential as a generative
instrument are described in the previous chapters. Other aspects of using Vastu Shastra may require some
updating considering recent technological advancements. However, this updating can be done in the spirit of the
original discussions. Even on matters that they do not directly cover, there is much to be learnt from the methods
of Vastu Shastra.
The detailed literature review in this research suggests that Vastu Shastra’s importance and its role in shaping
the sustainable walled city of Jaipur is considerably overlooked. However, with the discussions in this case study,
it is quite clear that the living testimony of Jaipur can help any architect or design expert to understand the true
nature and importance of Vastu Shastra. This situation itself opens a window of opportunity to encourage experts
for using Vastu Shastra guidelines for contemporary sustainable designs. This effort will not only open further
discussion about this ‘ancient science’ as a scholarly practice but also highlight Vastu Shastra’s contribution to
Indian architecture and history.

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UNDERSTANDING THE VASTU SHASTRA: CITY PLANNING IN WALLED CITY OF JAIPUR 71

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NOTES

1 According to Naik, “Vastu has attributed different and distinct characters to the energies which reside inside various
geometric forms. A Circle is a primary shape, the shape of Sun and Moon. The Circle has unique properties, almost mystical
and magical. The sages have attributed the Circle to be representing Rudra or Shiva, and apart from being used in temples and
some sacrificial alters, is not used in the design of a house. The Triangle is verily used in Tantra to represent Shiva if it is
pointing upwards, or Shakti if it is pointing downward. Owing to its occult significance, and perhaps due to its acute angles,
triangular shape is also avoided in Vãstu designing of homes. The Square is called Bramhamandala (Fig. 1). Because its four
sides represent Bramha, the creator. The Vãstu mandala is a square, and it represents a high level of design philosophy. The
square and its derivative the rectangle are the basis for evolution of Vastu designs.
2 In Vedic architecture, proportions and measurements play a vital part, this principle is known as Maana. Vastu Shastra plays

the role of creating harmony and representing conclusiveness by using the principles of measurement. There are six categories
of measurements mentioned in Vastu Shastra – “measurement of height, breadth, width or circumference, measurement along
plumb lines, measurement of thickness and measurement of inter-space”.
3 Most common findings suggest East symbolises lord of Light, West symbolises deities of Darkness, North represents deities of

Birth, South represents idols of Death whereas North-east is considered to be entrance of all energies, and South-west is where
they fade away.
4 The first one is Bhogadyam, which says that the designed premise must be useful and lend itself to easy application. The

second is Sukha Darsham, in which the designed premise must be aesthetically pleasing. The proportions of the spaces and the
material used, in the interiors and exteriors of the building – ornamentation, colour, sizes of the windows, doors and the rooms
and the rhythms of projection and depressions – should be beautiful. The third principle is Ramya, where the designed premise
should evoke a feeling of well-being in the user
5This is evident with cases such as Pune and even modern Chandigarh, where the guidelines differ due to the change of

geography as well as religious influences.

6 Feng Shui is linked with the “yellow emperor’s book of traditional Chinese medicine and astrology: the Bazi, the four pillars of

destiny.”
7 A literature review was done as a part of this research which is separately published and is available at: Pusalkar, S.

2021. Reviewing the value assessment of Vastu Shastra in the Walled city of Jaipur. Academia Letters, Article
737. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL737
8 Sthapati was a well-known architect and researcher who has received Padma Bhushan award from the President of India for

his works. He was also the head of the School of Architecture in Chennai and has published multiple books on Architecture and
its relationship with nature, spirituality and culture.

Acknowledgments
This study was carried out as a part of postgraduate submission work at University College London. I would
like to thank my supervisors for this research, Prof Edward Denison and Prof Eva Branscome (Bartlett School of
Architecture, University College London) for their valuable guidance, comments, suggestions and support.

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