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Vaastu-Shilpa Shastra
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VAASTU-SHILPA SHASTRA
by
Sonal Kamlesh Puri
A Thesis Presented to
THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF BUILDING SCIENCE
December 1997
Copyright 1997 Sonal Kamlesh Puri
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UMI Number: 1389999
Copyright 1997 by
Puri, Sonal Kamlesh
All rights reserved.
UMI Microform 1389999
Copyright 1998, by UMI Company. All rights reserved.
This microform edition is protected against unauthorized
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UNIVERSITY OF S O U T H E R N CALIFORNIA
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTU RE
U N IV ER SITY PA RK
LOS ANGELES, CA 90089-0291
‘This thesis, w ritten By
S o n a l P u r i
under the direction o f h e r •Thesis Committee,
arudapproved By a ll its members, has Been presented
to a n d accepted By the T)ean or The SchooC o f
Architecture in partiaCfudfiCdment o f the requirements
f o r the degree o f
Master o f Buildir.cr Science
\ K \ . Hi,
--------------------1 ----------------------- 1 — v w * -
■Dean
■Date
THESIS COMMITTEE
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Vaastu-Shilpa Shastra
Table of Contents
Abstract
Page
111
Acknowledgments IV
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
The Theory of Vaastu
1.1 An outline history of Indian Architecture. 3
1.2 Vaastu: the bond of five elements. 13
1.3 The advantages of the application of Vaastu guidelines. 17
1.4 The relationship of Vaastu with the sciences of the world 20
1.5 The areas of design covered by Vaastu. 24
The Guidelines of Vaastu
2.1 Site planning guidelines 26
2.2 Building layout and design guidelines 51
2.3 Example house plans 65
Chapter Three An explanation behind some of the guidelines of Vaastu
3.1 Examining some Vaastu guidelines with an attempt
towards explaining them.
68
Chapter Four The Web-based multimedia teaching tool
4.1 The Web
4.2 Multimedia and the program
4.3 Program content and functions
80
88
99
Chapter Five
Bibliography
Conclusions
5.1 Conclusions 103
110
ii
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Abstract
The purpose of the thesis was to study the ancient knowledge contained within Vaastu-Shilpa
Shastra and identify its scientific or logical basis and aid in its presentation to the world
before a beneficial science such as this dies out.
Firstly, the theory of Vaastu, as found within the Hindu books of knowledge,- the ’ Vedas’ was
studied in its original and untouched form. Many ideas and excerpts were collected.
Secondly, the interpretations of the ancient knowledge by various authors was studied and
analyzed. These interpretations were found to differ by the author and also by the location
from where the author originated. Thirdly, this knowledge was then divided into categories
such as site selection, site layout, building use, building layout, and interior planning and
design. Fourthly, an attempt was made to identify the scientific and/or logical basis to each
one of these guidelines, sometimes successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully.
Fifthly, and finally, this study evolved into a web-based multimedia teaching tool to
demonstrate these guidelines of Vaastu available to a broader audience. This tool is now up
and running at the following locations on the world-wide web.
http://www.manipur.com/sonal
http://www.casarch.com/sonal/thesis
http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/mbs/Vaastu
iii
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Acknowledgments
In attempting to update a science that goes back over five millennium and encompasses the
whole culture of an ancient civilization, it becomes very difficult to record acknowledgments.
There are the historical personae who border on the mythological, followed by the recorders
of the science whose names are interspersed in the pages of my nation’s history, and the
researchers who have attempted to compile these sciences in the modem day. I would like to
record my grateful thanks to all those unnamed individuals whose combined efforts made it
possible for a young student to attempt to record this science for posterity in the language of
modem technology.
My two years of study at the University of Southern California helped me to explore the
depths of traditional knowledge of my country and the ancient lore of Chinese origin as
recorded in the Feng Shui. The ambiance of the University made it possible for me to
understand a graffiti recorded on a campus w all" Don’t let studies interfere with your
education". The ancient centers of Learning, whether of Greece or of Mesopotamia, or the
centers of Nalanda and Taxila, Benaras and Avantipur on the Indian sub-continent were
fortunate in the teachers who guided them. I have been equally fortunate in the pursuit of
knowledge. I have much to be grateful for to some of my teachers in the Department of
Building Sciences who were more than teachers in the narrow sense of the word- they were
guides who showed the way and encouraged us to explore and search for the truth. It is the
wisdom and genius of Prof. Marc Schiler that encouraged me to take on the study of Vaastu
iv
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Shastra. The insights that he provided during the course of my research make it obvious that
he must have spent many hours researching the subject himself also. He could perceive the
"trees from the woods" and that helped me to find my way through the maze of ancient lore.
My understanding was facilitated by the inputs in the field of structures provided by Prof.
Goetz Schiele.
In the history of the world the present period will be recorded as the Age of Computers. They
have revolutionized the way we live and think. I have attempted to compress the ancient
science in the language of computers so that the esoteric knowledge is accessible by the
everyday man. I cannot adequately express my thanks to Lloyd Pentecost who taught me the
concepts and nuances of multimedia and to Douglas Noble and Karen Kensek who helped
hone my computer skills.
Ilaria Mazzoleni, my classmate from Italy, was my constant silent companion during the long
nights spent in the MBS Lab. My thanks are due to my sister Kanchan Puri-Shetty who
graduated from the same Department in 1994 and to my brother-in-law Kiran Shetty who
encouraged me to study and helped identify many sources of material. During my visit to
India in August 1996 they facilitated my visit to many practitioners of the art and in this they
were assisted by Sanath Shetty, a practicing architect from Mangalore in South Western
India. My thanks are also due to my parents Lt. Col. (Dr.) KK Puri and Renuka Puri who
provided the initial impetus and the financial support for my continuing education.
v
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In any endeavor there is one constant companion who is always there specially when needed
most. He is the alter ego- the Sancho Panza to Don Quixote, the Passepartout to Phileas
Fogg, and in the higher plane the Charioteer Krishna to Aijun , the central figure of the epic
Mahabharata. The companion is always there guiding, helping, facilitating, encouraging,
cajoling and re-energizing. I was fortunate in having Gaurav Singh as my friend, guide and
philosopher. I could not have taken on this massive task without Gaurav’s constant presence
and I cannot adequately express my thanks to him.
I would also like to thank my many other teachers, classmates and friends who provided
welcome inputs into my study. Finally I would like to thank the University of Southern
California, Los Angeles which made it possible for me to undertake this endeavor.
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Introduction
The ancient lore of India is recorded in the Vedas. These are not the utterances of any
single person but are the distillation of thousands of years of reflection by the great seers
and they are the "knowledge of God". There are four ’Vedas1 - ’Rig Veda’ which
underlines the Path of ’Gnyan’ or Knowledge, the ’ Yajur’ Veda shows the Path of ’Karma’
or Action and ’Saama’ Veda which illuminates the Way of ’Bhakti’ or Devotion.
’Atharvana’ Veda represents a synthesis of the above three. Vaastu-Shilpa Shastra,
literally meaning “the science of designing a space to reside in” was formulated as a part
of the 'Stapatya' Veda and is a rule-based system of architecture, much like our present-
day building codes. In ancient India every routine of daily life had a religious sanctity
and therefore the science of construction also became a religious code. It can be traced
back to more than 5000 years ago and even today is applied as a set of guidelines
towards better living with respect to environmental compatibility, structural aspects,
psychological and physical comfort and religious reasoning and beliefs.
"Nature consists of five elements, namely, space (the sky), air (atmosphere), fire, water
and earth".2 These exist in predetermined proportions in the universe. A study of the
effect of these elements on our wellbeing and comfort becomes necessary to appreciate
Vaastu as a science and to understand its efficacy. The principles and guidelines of
1 The Vedas are the ancient books of Hinduism.
‘ Reddy, Gouru Tirupati, The secret world o f Vaastu, p. 14. For more information, go to Chapter 1, Section
1.2- Vaastu- the bond of five elements.
1
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Vaastu attempt to achieve the optimum utilization of all the benefits that nature has to
offer.
The recent past has seen a gradual increase in the desire for Vaastu-based design among
the people of India. More and more people realized the practical merit in this kind of
esoteric knowledge. Due to this surge of interest, there was a need felt for the
presentation of this science to the world in a contemporary form before this ancient
knowledge would die out. Though Vaastu was formulated in times different from ours, it
was tremendously far-sighted as it formulated universally true guidelines (in some cases)
that help in creating a congenial setting for site selection, site planning and the layout of
buildings, types of buildings and their relationships, interior layouts o f rooms within a
building and the detailed interior design of space.
The concept of a multimedia teaching-tool to demonstrate the guidelines of Vaastu in an
objective manner was brought about as part of this research. This concept has now led to
realization of a multimedia tutorial and expresses Vaastu right from the initial stages of
site selection and layout to the detailed explanation and guidelines of interior spaces for
the case of residential design.
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Chapter One
The Theory of Vaastu
1.1 An Outline History of Indian Architecture3
Architecture is defined as one of the hallmarks of civilization and the origins of Indian
architecture even predate Harappa and Mohen-jo-daro, which flourished around the 3rd
century BC A high proportion of the population lived in substantial, well drained
courtyard houses. Most of the cities were walled and contained public buildings and
granaries. Civic planning was based on a rectangular grid orientated to the cardinal
points and standardized brick was the main building material. The inhabitants of Harappa
and Mohen-jo-daro were perhaps the Dravidians who were overrun by the invading
Aryans. There are thus two main streams of Indian architecture. Vedic Architecture or the
Visvakarma School is the Northern School of Architecture and the Maya School of
Architecture of the Asurs is Dravidians or the Southern School. The Vedas, the ancient
manuscripts of Hinduism which were written about 5000 years ago also refer to a very
advanced standard of architecture of that time.
3 Compiled from collection of class notes from a required course in History in the undergraduate course in
architecture(B.Arch. Program) at Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Bombay, India.
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Before the advent of the English, Indian Architecture had reached great perfection as can
be seen by the construction of the Guptas, the Mauryans and the works of art prepared by
the Buddhists and the Jains. Buddhist and Jain art must not be seen as different from the
mainstream of Indian architecture as these two philosophies were off shoots and
improved versions of Hinduism. The achievements of Ashoka the Great speak for
themselves. The Arthashastra of the Mauryan Chancellor Kautilya goes into great details
of the construction of forts and is indicative of the great advances made in the field of
architecture.
The ambassador of Seleucus Nikator to Chandragupta Maurya’s court, Megasthenes, has
left a detailed account of the capital city of Pataliputra. Shaped as a parallelogram, it was
girded by a ditch and a wooden wall with 570 towers and 64 gates. The interior was laid
out with magnificent palaces, gardens, playhouses and public buildings. The influence of
Achaemenid Persia was evident. It was overlaid by the Hellenism of Alexander and the
injection of the hybrid culture of the Shakas and Parthians; this was further mixed by the
trends of the Kushans from China. According to various Chinese travelers of those times
the highest and most magnificent structure in Gandhara was the thirteen stories high
Mahastupa. Its base with projections at the four cardinal points measured some 90 meters
across.
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The Influence of Religion.
Interestingly, it was perhaps the growth of Buddhism and Jainism in the period from the
3rd Century BC to 5th Century AD that gave a tremendous push to the development of
architecture in India. Brahamanism had become extremely abstruse and was heavily
dependent upon the rituals of sacrifice. The laity felt totally cut off from their gods and
wished to be able to pray to something more tangible. Ashoka the Great realized this fact
and it is recorded that he made pillars in his memory in ten different places. These places,
along with the birthplace of Buddha and the Bodhi tree where he gained Nirvana became
places of pilgrimage. These were developed into magnificent Stupas along with Viharas
and Chaityas.
A similar renaissance occurred in Hinduism and image worship crystallized around
Vishnu and Shiva separately as paramount deities. Place was also found for the thirty-two
other deities and for the cult of Shakti who was descendent from Mother Earth herself
and was to be the key to all salvation. The temple thus became the center of intellectual
and artistic endeavors, promoting the development of painting, sculpture, architecture,
philosophy, theology and the performing arts.
Soon, ambitious temple building to commemorate notable dynastic successes became a
major preoccupation with Indian rulers. The building of a temple became a religious act
which earned merit in the present and after-life for the ruler. Thus the Vaastu-Purusha
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Mandala (the formulae for sacred construction ) remained the first concern of the Hindu
school of architecture.
Vaastu-Shilpa Shastra orchestrates the essentially metaphysical rhythms of plans and
elevation, it deduces a system of proportions, plots the position and orientation of the
temple in accordance with its dedication and site conditions. Refinements of the Vaastu-
Shastra carried on for the next thousand years. A new influx of concept came into Indian
architecture came with the advent of Islam around 1000 AD
The Islamic Influence.
By the beginning of the 11th century, the successors of Mohammed of Ghazni, a
Turkish adventurer had established their presence on the subcontinent. The fundamental
dogma of Islam is the Unity of God (Allah) and the finality of Mohammed as his Prophet.
The supreme revelation is the Koran as dictated to Mohammed. It is the requirement of
prayer that forms the basis of Islamic architecture. The mosque established by
Mohammed at his house in Medina has been religiously followed in Islamic architecture,
except for embellishments added by successive generations. The Muslims came into their
inheritance when the Abbasid Caliphate established itself at Baghdad, within the sphere
of the Mesopotamian and Persian cultural traditions.
Fortifications built by the Muslims in India reflect developments in the West-specially
in the Holy Land of the Crusaders. The isolation of a citadel from a more expansive
6
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outwork was highly characteristic. The Rajputs greatly contributed to the development of
forts. Another major outcome of the cross cultural interaction between the Muslims and
the Rajputs was the development of gardens by the Muslims. They liked to surround their
palaces with stylized versions of hunting parks. The garden was disposed geometrically
with watercourses and fountains as would perhaps exist in Paradise. The planned city of
Jaipur is a good example of the flourishing architecture and planning of that time.
The first mosque built in India was called the Quwwat-ul-Islam (Might of Islam), it was
built over the ruins of the last Hindu Capital of Prithviraj III Chahanama. The Qutb Minar
was built adjacent to it. The material for its construction came from twenty seven Hindu
and Jain temples. While the architecture was Islamic, the craftsmen were Hindus and
most of the rubble had Hindu motifs still embellished on it. The craftsmen incorporated
their own structural and decorative traditions into it. Local traditions were also
incorporated in the Muslim architecture that sprang up in Bengal, Kashmir and the
Deccan. The stress was on building tombs for the emperors; one of the greatest examples
is the Taj Mahal built by Shah Jahan at Agra, wherein are housed the remains of Shah
Jahan and his consort Mumtaz Mahal.
Hindu Architecture was restricted to the South by the Vijayanagari Dynasty which was
established on the banks of the Tunghabhadra. They built some mighty forts at Vellore,
Gingee, Tanjavur, Madurai and Ikkeri. They also developed some magnificent temple
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complexes at Chidambram, Kumbakonam, Timvarur, Shrirangam at Trichy and
Jambukeshvara.
The Western Influence.
In the Portuguese enclaves along the western coast of India are to be seen some of the
most beautiful churches designed in the post-Renaissance European Classicism and its
Mannerist and Baroque permutations. The decorative complexity of the Mannerism was
further enhanced by the local artists.
The British Colonizers established some great forts at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.
They were generally Italian renaissance adaptations of the Vitruvian ideal city. Regular
polygonal geometry and salient triangular bastions with recessed flanks were created. For
the town houses there was an inclination towards the Gothic style with leanings towards
the native architecture. Some examples were the incorporation of curved arches and
Deccani Muslim domes. Rashtrapati Bhavan, the earlier residence of the Viceroy in India
was constructed in 1925. The architect Lutyens used the plan of the old English country-
house and superimposed the style of the pantheon for the Center Durban Hall. He
borrowed from Wren’s St. Stephen’s Wallbrook, the Mahastupa at Sanchi, the ubiquitous
Chattri and Chadyas.4
House Plans and Building Bylaws
4 Tadgell Christopher. The History o f Architecture in India, p 210
8
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House plans and building bylaws are interconnected. House building in ancient India was
never done in a haphazard fashion. The subject of house-plans was not treated in
isolation from the essential qualities of a building. Character, beauty and stability were
said to be the essential qualities of a building. A house-plan must be true to its purpose, in
that it must conform, not only to the needs to which it is being planned out, but its very
appearance should indicate its purpose. A devotional building, a temple, a shrine, a
mosque or a cathedral, must from its very appearance, look like so. Similarly, the
military, memorial, civil and domestic buildings should also convey the same impression.
These were the guidelines followed by the architects of that era appropriate for the
building. Stability of the building must have been of prime consideration at that period in
time. The pride of a house was to last from generation to generation. As regards beauty,
this too, was the soul of architecture as an art form. This beauty was derived as a result of
color, size, form and proportion between the various components. Proportion, as what the
ancients termed it- the rhythm- is one of the most important attribute of architecture. This
led to the belief of cent-per-cent exactitude in the measurements of any construction, be it
a vedic altar, a temple edifice, an image of a god, or a residential house.
Conformity to proportionate measurements was much adhered to, in ancient India, and
sometimes overdone, particularly in iconography. The dimensions of length, breadth, as
well as the height of residential houses varied according to varying social status in the
Indian society. This difference was, in the 19th century, converted to alternative
measurements in relation to different structures of occupants having different positions in
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social hierarchy. The types of house plans are divided by the number of rooms- the
ekshala (meaning one roomed one), the dwishala (the two roomed one), the trishala and
so on. This hierarchical rule of design giving guidelines for the layout of a one room, two
room or then a palatial house or temple is now the time-honored tradition for Vaastu-
based design and all the texts of the Vaastu-Shilpa Shastra adhere to this rule. The square
was a shape most prescribed to the higher caste, and the lower the caste, the further
remote from the square are the buildings which were suitable for its members.
According to Vaastu, the house has two principle parts- the interior and the exterior one.
All the above rules are for the interior and all that is not covered by the interior dwelling
is deemed to be the exterior. Elements such as doors, lintels, moldings, beams, roofing
types and the pinnacle are of utmost importance and this importance is relative,
depending upon their overall height. All these relate to the external features of a house
plan. The most important inner feature of a house-plan is the grouping. It should be so
accomplished as to make the house a real home. A verandah, a drawing room, a bedroom,
a kitchen, a dining room, a store, a place for worship, a bath, a staircase, a guest room, a
nursery orchildren’sroom, a garage, a toilet- all these are so laid out in a house plan as to
ensure not only the maximum comfort, but also freedom and privacy, the keynote of any
house plan, be it ancient or modem.
Other aspects of planning are the orientation of the house with respect to openings such as
external and internal doors. Roominess, furniture requirements, sanitation, flexibility,
10
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circulation and practical conveniences are all a matter of priority in ancient Indian
architecture.
It is said that Indian architecture is suitable only for temples, but after the development of
the ancient canons of architecture, it is found to be as applicable to house-plans as it is to
temples.
Building Bylaws.
What we call building bylaws in modem times, by which the house plans of individual
citizens are scrutinized by the city corporations, were in ancient times, a code of
sanctified religious character, the violation of which was beyond contemplation. The
horror of death, destruction, disease and other misfortunes was always shadowing the
people and this assured the preservation of such rules and codes.5
Building bylaws of ancient times were given mostly for doors, number of floors,
orientation, proportion of measurements, layouts, site plans, decorations, auspicious
dates, and others. The ancients had their own way of representing things- every life
manifestation had a religious sanctity behind it, and therefore all the rules of living were
formulated like religious sacraments. It was an article of faith in religious advice rather
than belief in the benefits of Vaastu-based design that prompted them to formulate such a
code of life.
5 Rao D. M. Vaastu Shilpa Shastra & Indian Traditions, pi 10.
11
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Such were the beginnings of the history of Architecture in India, which is now
incorporated into the works of people such as Charles Correa, Balakrishna V. Doshi and
many others.
Architecture in India is always evolving. It tends to draw upon its glorious past and makes
an attempt to incorporate newer concepts.
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1.2 Vaastu: the bond of five elements
Eternal are the Sun and the Moon,
Eternal are the Air, Fire and Water,
Eternal is our Goddess Earth
So is the World we live in...
thus sang the Sage Vishwakarma in the ancient Vedas.6
According to the ancient Hindu books of knowledge, the ’Vedas’, ature in its entirety
consists of five elements-the Sky (or space), the Air (or atmosphere), Fire (or the Sun),
Water and the Earth. These five elements reside in nature in predetermined proportions
and are governed by principles that are not yet fully comprehended by maa A study of
the effects of these elements in the context of today’s day and age,however, becomes
necessary to understand, appreciate and also determine the efficacy of the principles and
guidelines of Vaastu.
The importance of each of these elements according to Vaastu is described below.
The Sky (or Space)
The sky is symbolic of an endless space that exists through the entire universe.
According to the Big-Bang theory, a densely packed mass exploded and scattered in all
directions and expanded to form what we refer to today as the Universe. The Universe is
5 Reddy, Gouru Tirupati, The Secret World o f Vaastu, p 11.
13
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composed of millions of galaxies and one of these is called the Milky Way and consists
of dust and gases besides innumerable stars. Our solar system is located towards the end
of one spiral arm of the Milky Way. There are billions of such solar systems in existence.
The number of galaxies in existence have not yet been determined. The main relationship
of the sky with architecture is its expression of space.
The Air (or the Atmosphere)
Air envelopes the earth in motion. This air is composed of gases such as oxygen,
nitrogen, carbon-dioxide, neon, helium, krypton and many others. Oxygen and nitrogen
are in the proportion of 21 to 72 with the remaining 7% being a combination of the other
gases.
Oxygen is indispensable and vital for the survival of all living organisms and also for
combustion. Also, there can be no vegetation on land without nitrogen. The atmosphere
and a strong consideration of its properties is thus important for existence and thus
architectural design. The main characteristics of air are its behavior as a medium of
sound, light, heat and the senses of smell and touch.
Fire
Fire is the rapid burning of combustible material with the evolution of heat and usually
accompanied by flame. The original source of fire was undoubtedly, lightning and such
fortuitously ignited blazes remained the only source of fire for eons.
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The great Greek scientists and philosophers found fire just as significant as did the
mystics of religion. Aristotle for example, declared fire along with water, earth and air to
be one of the four general and essential elements of life and all things and Plato asserted
that God used the four elements for the creation of the world.7
Water
After the formation of the world, the thick hot gases enveloping the earth gradually
cooled down and got transformed into clouds. Due to the precipitation from clouds, water
poured into the low-lying portions of the earth’s surface and oceans were formed. The
rains continued even after the formation of oceans and mountains. The rainfall atop the
mountains flowed down into the plains in the form of rivulets and reached the sea in the
form of rivers. Water is a vital element for all living beings. Water is available in three
forms- liquid (water), solid (ice) and gaseous (vapor). The liquid gets converted into
vapor due to the heat of the sun and subsequently into clouds before it goes back to the
liquid state as rain and reaches the earth. This is the water cycle, and its consequences are
essential considerations in the designing of living spaces as they affect comfort
conditions. The characteristics of water are sound, sense of touch, shape and taste.
7 Encyclopedia Britannica, Britannica Online, Netscape Inc.
15
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Earth
The earth is one o f the planets in our solar system and is the third from the sun. It was
formed about 4600 million years ago. It was originally a fiery ball, like the sun, but
gradually cooled down. The surface was formed due to the gradual cooling down of the
rocks by which they attained solidity. The tectonic movement of the uppermost layers led
to the formation of mountains and valleys.
Magnetic theories of the earth are that it behaves like a gigantic magnet due to the
magnetic particles embedded within it. It has two poles- the north and the south pole. The
southern pole of the magnet is located in the northern hemisphere and the northern pole is
in the southern hemisphere. Thus the compass always points north, as opposites attract.
Many guidelines in Vaastu are based upon this very concept of the earth’s magnetism.
Earth has the characteristic of sound, sense of touch and space
Vaastu was composed by keeping in mind the understanding of the five elements and the
way they were thought to contribute to the characteristics of the earth. Each of these
guidelines were intended to try to interface our living environment with nature and design
a more harmonious living space.
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1.3 The advantages of the application of Vaastu guidelines
Architecture is one of the most important aspects of our lives. Each person is influenced
by the space within which he resides, works, worships or even visits. A well designed
building has a certain calmness or peacefulness and integrity about it, that it may bring
about a fulfillment within anyone who makes use of this space. On the other hand, a
structure designed without keeping in mind the physical and psychological comfort of the
resident would tend to bring about a restlessness and anxiety to the resident and to the
surrounding environment within which it is located as well. The most ancient form of
architecture is known as Sthapatya Veda or more precisely its subset, Vaastu-Shilpa
Shastra.
Sthapatya literally means "establishment" in Sanskrit, and Veda means knowledge.
Stahapatya Veda thus implies the knowledge of creating an establishment keeping in
mind the various factors that effect this establishment and the comfort of its users.
This ancient knowledge provides guidelines formulated with an extensive insight about
buildings and design principles. Vaastu is unfortunately, not widely practiced. This and
many similar collections of ancient knowledge and understanding are almost being lost to
development even in India wherein it originated along with the Vedas and the beginning
of Hinduism many eras ago. Most people fail to realize the advantages or benefits that
may be available with the application of such a collection of ancient knowledge. In the
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past few decades, due to modernization, the application of the guidelines of Vaastu have
been limited to the construction of temples or places of Hindu worship. But in the last
three or four years, there has been an increased interest in Vaastu. People have become
more aware of its advantages in some cases, and in most instances, it is emerging as the
latest culture statement. Clients for architects have begun to demand its application in the
designs for their homes and places for work-related and social activities. It is yet to be
seen if this is just a passing phase or have the merits of this and all such ancient
collections of knowledge been realized.
The Practical Application of Vaastu
The power to apply Vaastu effectively lies with the client and more so, within the
architect. The client, because he/she must realize its true potential, and demand its
application to his/her project. The architect will, nevertheless, have to be the main
upholder for Vaastu. If he/she is consciously able to establish a comfortable relationship
between the structure and its surroundings, the village, the town the country and the
universe as a whole, he/she will be successful in making the structure a suitable place to
be in and the whole world comfortably evolves around this structure. This relationship
can be achieved by following the guidelines prescribed by this science, spatially,
structurally, physically, environmentally and psychologically, thus leading to an ideal
space.
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Sthapatya Veda and today’s architecture.
Modem architecture has evolved in that it takes into consideration the climatic
conditions, the location, the altitude, the site contours, available materials, building
construction principles, and the style of the day and many other equally important aspects.
Sthapatya Veda does all this and also considers the comfort of the human body with its
psyche and its relationship with the universe as a whole.The land is studied keeping in
mind the cosmic order described and illustrated within the figure of the Cosmic Man or
the Vaastu-Purusha Mandala. This illustration claims to provide the planning principles
and guidelines for all forms of design and considers all factors in doing so with respect to
time. The dimension of time is considered in that all its principles are made on the basis
of the North-South axis and the magnetic orientation. This axis may change and so may
the magnetic orientation and that is when Vaastu has the ability and versatility to adapt to
the new aspects and prescribes guidelines keeping that in mind.
The knowledge of Sthapatya Veda is more than five thousand years old. Its beginnings lie
with Hinduism. A set of guidelines that has been able to survive for such a long time
must have some form of merit in them, even though, at various stages of the thesis
research, one realizes that with the advances of science and knowledge, there are actually
some of these guidelines that do not hold good anymore. Some of them have superior
replacements and some actually have been found to be wrong. But in the overall picture,
if these guidelines are understood and selectively applied, they possess a great deal of
merit.
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1.4 The relationship of Vaastu with the sciences of the world
The scope of planning in Vaastu is related to the many sciences that contribute to our
lives. Some of them are Cosmology, Philosophy, Geology, Astronomy, Geography and
Architecture itself. This relationship is explained below.
Philosophy and Cosmology
According to the Hindu outlook towards life, a science without a philosophy or a
religious background does not constitute a complete science. The creation of the world
and its planning are inseparable. The creator of the world, the mythological ‘Brahma’
created ‘Vaastu-Shilpa Shastra’ before he created the world. The world is thus a planned
unit.
As with any project from today’ s times, the planning of this part of the universe required
a concentrated effort of the trinity or the triad- the architect or planner (the Vaastu-Shilpi)
the patron, and the substratum (the earth itself).
Ideal planning of a house takes into its account the planning of its surroundings.
Similarly, the ideal planning of a town or a city must, of necessity, take into account the
region in which it is located which in turn must consider the country as a whole with its
rivers, mountains, seas, forests and the like. And in continuation, any country, however
well planned, if it remains isolated and does not take care of the well being of other
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countries, will experience discord or dispute or fights or wars. Hence for its own
happiness, safety and peace, a country must take into account the planning of all other
countries. Thus the planning of the whole world on earth emerges. In turn, the earth may
be influenced by and dependent upon the movement and characteristics of its moon as
may be other planets. This is the essence of the cosmological aspect of architecture.
Astronomical and Astrological
According to the ’Vaastu PurushaMandala’, tie interpretation of the astronomical and
astrological impact on Architecture is combined within a group of formula within which
the perimeter of the intended scope of design should confirm for the most favorable
solution. This is the formula of the ’Cosmic Man’® For example, according to the tenets
of Vaastu, building operations including excavation should commence under favorable
stars. This aspect devotes a considerable portion to the heavenly bodies such as the
constellations who exercise their influence on the creative activities of mankind and is the
astrological aspect of Vaastu.
From the Vaastu point of view, the knowledge of astronomy/astrology and also
mathematics/numerology are an indispensable equipment of an architect and thereby the
essential constituents of the science of architecture from the conception of an
architectural project to its completion and also occupancy.
8 Rao, Gopinatha C.H. Astrology in House Building, p 125.
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Geographical and Geological
For the well ordered planning of a town, a region or a country or merely a building, one
requires not only a knowledge of the topography of the land and the surroundings, but
also a similar knowledge about the whole world/ the whole universe with all its stars,
planets, constellations, continents, rivers, mountains, seas and everything else that makes
up this universe.
A survey of the land and the site, the examination of the soil conditions and the testing of
the soil which have different varieties of sound, touch, smell, color and taste to ascertain
whether the soil is fit for the building of a town, a village or just a house are prescribed.
Both porous and loose soils are thus avoided as a part of Vaastu guidelines.
Architectural
Vaastu, in its most generalized sense, implies the earth, building, conveyance and
bedstead. The term also applies to villages, towns, forts, commercial cities, single
dwellings, a group of houses, merely a site and many others. Sculpture is also secondarily
implied. The country, the region, the town (capital cities to commercial towns), the
habitation ( villages to hamlets), the assembly or council chambers, house architecture
with its three subdivisions- residences, palaces and temples with the seats, the thrones,
the cots and the couches are also included.
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Architecture is said to be both a science and an art. The scope of architecture is not only
to lay out the norms for the guidance for architectural creations but to evolve these
creations in such a manner as to give them an aesthetic appearance and a comfortable and
healthy environment. These are all the focus of Vaastu guidelines.
Metaphysical
The drawing of the Vaastu-Purush-Mandala is imperative before any building activity is
undertaken. The Mandala lies within a square plan and is the extent of existence in its
ordered state. The Mandala is beheld in the likeness of the Purusha- the image of the
cosmic man. The Purusha is congruous to the planned site, and thus the relationship.
These explanations make an attempt towards justifying the relationship that Vaastu may
hold with other sciences of the world and how a complete harmony among all the forces
of nature is to be achieved for the most viable living conditions.
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1.5 The areas of design covered by Vaastu
Vaastu consists of guidelines for the following areas of design:
Types of buildings:
1 . Residences
2. Mansions
3. Places of worship
4. Public buildings
5. Offices
6. Common facilities
7. Graveyards and tombs.
Others.
Site selection with its various aspects such as:
1. Directional alignment
2. Slope of the site
3. Size of the site
4. Shape of the site
5. Adjoining roads to the site with various permutations.
6. Other surrounding factors.
Interior layout and location of rooms, specifically:
1. Entrance
2. Living room
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3. Dining room
4. Kitchen
5. Master Bedrooms
6. Children’s Bedroom
7. Guest rooms
8. Bathrooms
9. Study
10. Granary
11. Treasury
12. Tool area
13. Courtyard and open spaces
14. Prayer rooms
Others.
Interior planning of each space:
1 . Doors
2. Windows
3. Openings
4. Sanitary fittings in bathrooms and kitchens
5. Staircases and stairways
6. Wardrobes
7. Storage areas.
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Chapter Two
The Guidelines of Vaastu
2.1 Site Planning Guidelines
Following are the guidelines for site selection and layout planning for sites using Vaastu.
i. DIRECTIONAL ALIGNMENT
I. ALONG NORTH-SOUTH
The geometric axis of the plot should be aligned with the axis of the
earth’s magnetic field- one set of boundaries should be parallel and the
other set should be perpendicular to the axis.
Fig. Along North-South
II. NOT ALONG NORTH-SOUTH
If a plot is not aligned along the magnetic axis, such land is said to be poor
for design according to this guideline. Plots having directional non-
alignment should be avoided at all costs.
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Fig. Not Along North-South
ii. SLOPE
I. LOW IN SOUTH-EAST
Not advisable
Fig. Low in South-East
n. LOW IN SOUTH
Not advisable
Fig. Low in South
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m. LOW IN SOUTH-WEST
Not advisable
Fig. Low in South-West
IV. LOW IN WEST
Not advisable
Fig. Low in West
V. LOW IN NORTH-WEST
Not advisable.
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Fig. Low in North-West
VI. LOW IN CENTER
Not advisable.
Fig. Low in Center
VII. LOWER IN NORTH
Good slope
Fig. Low in North
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VII. LOWER IN EAST
Good slope
Fig. Low in East
VIII. LOWER IN NORTH-EAST
Good slope
Fig. Low in North-East
iii. PROPORTIONS
I. SQUARE
If the ratio of two adjacent sides of a site is 1:1 and each angle is a 90
degree, it is a square site and deemed to the best in overall growth and
betterment of the residents of such a space.
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Fig. Square Proportions
II. RECTANGULAR
If the ratio of the width to the depth of the site is within 1:1.5 and all
comers are 90 degrees such a site is found to be advisable. If the depth
exceeds twice width, the site becomes unsuitable and thus not advisable.
Fig. Rectangular Proportions
iv. SHAPE
I. SYMMETRICAL
1. SQUARE
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If the ratio of two adjacent sides of a site is 1:1 and each angle is a
90 degree, it is a square site and deemed to the best in overall
growth and betterment of the residents of such a space.
Fig. Square Shape
2. RECTANGULAR
If the ratio of the width to the depth of the site is within 1:1.5 and
all comers are 90 degrees such a site is found to be advisable. If the
depth exceeds twice width, the site becomes unsuitable and thus
not advisable.
Fig. Rectangular Shape
3. CIRCULAR
Advisable
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Fig. Circular Shape
4. HEXAGONAL
Advisable
Fig. Hexagonal Shape
n. ASYMMETRICAL
All the following shapes are not advisable.
1 . OVAL
2. TRIANGULAR
3. PARALLELOGRAM
4. STAR SHAPED
5. TRIDENT
6. TORTOISE
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7. BOW
8. CART SHAPED
9. REVERSE CART
10. TRAPEZIUM
11. MRIDANGAM (AN INDIAN DRUM)
12. SEMI-CIRCLE
13. HAND-FAN
14. WHEEL SHAPE
15. BIRDS BEAK
Fig. Examples of Asymmetrical Shapes
v. DEFORMATION OF SITE
I. EXTENSION
1. AT NORTH-EAST
This shape of a site is advisable.
2. AT SOUTH-EAST
Not advisable
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Fig. Extension at South-East
3. AT SOUTH-WEST
Not advisable
Fig. Extension at South-West
4. AT NORTH-WEST
Not advisable
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Fig. Extension at North-West
n. REDUCTION
1. AT NORTH-EAST
Not advisable.
Fig. Reduction at North-East
2. AT SOUTH-EAST
Good formation.
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Fig. Reduction at South-East
3. AT SOUTH-WEST
Not advisable
Fig. Reduction at South-West
4. AT NORTH-WEST
Not advisable.
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Fig. Reduction at North-West
vi. ADJOINING ROADS
I. ONE SIDE
1. AT NORTH
One of the best solutions for roads running along one edge of the
site.
Fig. Road on North
2. AT WEST
Average solution.
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Fig. Road on West
3. AT SOUTH
Average solution.
Fig. Road on South
4. AT EAST
Very good solution.
Fig. Road on East
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n. TWO SIDES
1. AT EAST AND WEST
Average.
Fig. Roads on East and West
2. AT NORTH AND SOUTH
Average.
Fig. Roads on North and South
3. AT EAST AND SOUTH
Average.
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Fig. Roads on East and South
4. AT EAST AND NORTH
Good situation.
_l
L
5.
Fig. Roads on North and East
AT WEST AND SOUTH
Average.
Fig. Roads on West and South
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6. AT WEST AND NORTH
Average.
Fig. Roads on West and North
HI. THREE SIDES
1 . EXCEPT NORTH
Not advisable.
Fig. Roads on all sides except North
2. EXCEPT SOUTH
Not advisable.
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Fig. Roads on all sides except South
3. EXCEPT EAST
Not advisable.
Fig. Roads on all sides except East
EXCEPT WEST
Not advisable.
1 L
r~
Fig. Roads on all sides except West
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IV. ALL SIDES
I. ALL SIDES ALL DIRECTIONS
Very good format.
Fig. Roads on all sides running all directions
2. ALL SIDES EAST-WEST
Very good format.
r r
i i
Fig. Roads on all sides running East-West
V. OTHER SITUATIONS
1. T-JUNCTION ALL SIDES
Not advisable.
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Fig. T Junctions on all sides
2. T-JUNCTION THREE SIDES
Not advisable.
Fig. T-Junctions on three sides
3. T-JUNCTION TWO SIDES
Not advisable.
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Fig. T Junctions on two sides
4. T-JUNCTION ONE SIDE
Not advisable.
Fig. T Junctions on one side
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5. DEAD-END
Absolutely the worst option for any site and not acceptable or
advisable at all.
Fig. Dead ends
vii. SURROUNDING FACTORS
I. TREES
The following trees are known to have some form of an effect on the
living conditions of a site.
1. Peepal Tree-
This tree is very beneficial in the west side of the house but
inadvisable in the east side of the house.
2. BargadTree (Banyan)-
This tree is extremely beneficial in the east side of the house and
harmful at the west side.
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3. Goolar Tree-
Very beneficial on the south side and harmful on the north side of
the house.
4. Kaith Tree-
Very good on the north side of the house and harmful on the south
side of the house.
The shadow of any tree should not fall upon the house from 9.00
am to 3.00 p.m. Trees should also be located at a distance from the
house to ensure its structural stability as the roots may encroach
upon the foundation and weaken it.
n. WELLS
There should be no well or tank on the plot at these directions- south,
south-west, north-west, south-east, west and east.
The shadow of the house must not fall upon the well from 9.00 am
to 3.00 p.m.
m. GATE LOCATIONS
Divide the plot into a grid of 9 X 9 areas. Number it clockwise from the
top of the east side till 32 squares are counted. Squares numbered 3,4, 11,
12, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29 are the best locations for the gates. Remaining
locations range from bad to almost disastrous. These locations are limited
more towards the center of the plot edges and seem to logically be the
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most comfortable as far as entry /exit design options of a plot are
concerned.
2 5 2 '6 27 j S 2 y 3031 j : 2 .j
M T I T M 1
1 7 1 6 1 5 1 4 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 0 y
Fig. Gate Locations
IV. OBSTACLES
The following types of obstacles should not be in front of the gate
location. Roads sloping - either toward or away from the site, trees in front
of the gate, a comer of another house or building which is visually
disturbing, a pillar or column, gutter or mud pits, water drainage lines or
sewers, temples, lift-wells or staircases and railing. If the horizontal
distance between the door and the obstacle is reasonable enough and if a
public road is in between the door and the cause of the obstacle, the effect
of the obstacle is nullified.
Movement into and out of the house should be completely obstacle free for
best living conditions according to Vaastu
V. WELLS AND TANKS ON SITE INCLUDING UNDERGROUND
WATERTANKS
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North-east, east, west and north are good zones. South- east, south, south
west, north-west, center zones are prohibited if the designing is done
according to the guidelines of Vaastu.
VI. RIVERS AND CANALS
There should never be a river or wide canal on the south and west sides of
a plot. If the river or canal is on the east of the plot and flows from South
to North, it is good and if the river is on the north and flows from west to
east it is good as well. The other cases are average in benefit.
VII. HILLS AND HILLOCKS
Hills and hillocks in the south, south-west and west side are
considered acceptable but are forbidden on all other sides.
Vm. PLACES OF WORSHIP
At any cost, the shadow of the temple or places of worship must not fall on
the plot for 9.00am to 3.00p.m.Temples dedicated to the gods, Sun, Shiva
and Shiva should not be in the entrance side of the plot. Temples dedicated
to Durga should not be on the sides of the plot entrances. Jain temples
should not be on the right of the plot entrance.
D C . GRAVEYARDS ETC.
There should be no graveyard, burial ground or tomb adjacent to, at the
back of or in the front of the plot of the house.
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2.2 Building layout and design guidelines
Following are the guidelines for building layout and interior planning using Vaastu.
i. THE SITE LAYOUT
I. COMPOUND WALL
The compound walls should be of the same height throughout the site or
the walls on the southern edge of the plot should be higher than those on
the north and the walls on the west edge of the plot should be higher than
those on the eastern edge.
0. COMPOUND GATE
If the plot has two or more sides adjacent to it along a road, the gate should
be provided on the smaller side.
For specific locations of the gate along the sides of the plot, divide the plot
into a grid of 9 X 9 areas. Number it clockwise from the top of the east
side till 32 squares are counted. Squares numbered 3,4, 11, 12, 20, 21, 27,
28 and 29 are the best locations for the septic tank. Remaining locations
range from bad to almost disastrous.
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Fig. Gate Locations
m. SEPTIC TANK
For specific locations of the septic tank along the sides of the plot, divide
the plot into a grid of 5 X 5 areas. Number it clockwise from the top of the
east side till 16 squares are counted.
Squares numbered 2, 3, 8, 14 and 16 are the best locations for the gates.
The remaining locations range form bad to almost disastrous.
Fig. Septic Tank Locations
IV. MAIN BUILDING
The building as an ideal option, should be placed symmetrically in the
center of the plot leaving equal open spaces on the north and south and
similarly, equal open spaces on the east and west sides of the plot.
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Or, the building should be placed more towards the south and west side
leaving more space on the north and east sides of the plot.
Fig. Main Building Location
V. LEVELS
Levels of the open spaces around the building should be higher in the
south and west sides and lower in the north and east sides of the plot. Rain
water outlets should be from north-east or north zones.
Fig. Levels of Building
VI. CORNERS
As far as possible, all the four comers of the plot, south-west, north
west, south-east and north-east should be kept open to sky. However, if
necessary, the southwest comer can be covered by an auxiliary structure
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but this should not touch the main building. There should not be any
structure blocking the north-east, south-east and north-west comers of the
plot.
VII. WATCHMANS CABIN
The security cabin should not touch the compound wall. The cabin should
face the east or north directions.
Vni. SUB STATION/TRANSFORMER
The electrical sub-station/power transformer should be provided on the
south-east comer of the plot with the roads on the south or east sides and
in the north- west comer for plots having roads on the north and west
sides. If any structure is required near the substation or transformer, the
same should not be in the extreme south-east or north-west comers.
Fig. Location of Substation/Transformer
ii. BUILDING DESIGN
I. LOCATION ON SITE
The building as an ideal option, should be placed symmetrically in the
center of the plot leaving equal open spaces on the north and south and
similarly, equal open spaces on the east and west sides of the plot. Or, the
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building should be placed more towards the south and west side leaving
more space on the north and east sides of the plot.
0. SIZE
In general, the ratio of sides of the building for the width to depth should
be 1:1 or 1:1.5 or then 1:2. Making the proportions more rectangular than
1:2 results in a design not supported or advised by the guidelines of
Vaastu.
Fig. Size of building
HI. SHAPE
There must be no deviation in the form of reductions or extensions with
exception to balconies, terraces porches from the prescribed square and
rectangular proportions.
Fig. Shape of Building
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IV. FLOOR LEVELS
The floor levels in the south-west, west, south, south- east and north-west
should not be sunken or lower down. Similarly, the levels in the east,
north-east and north should not be higher or raised.
Fig. Levels of Building
V. HIGHEST AND LOWEST POINT
Ideally, the building should have the same height throughout the site. In the other
case, the south-west, south and west part of the building should be the highest
keeping the terraces and open balconies on the north and east side. The north, east
and north-east sides should never be higher than the south, west and south-west
sides.
Fig. Highest and Lowest Point
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VI. DOORS
1. LOCATION
The main doors and exit doors on any side of the building should
be located according to the following layout scheme.
Divide the building into a grid of 9 X 9 areas. Number it clockwise
from the top of the east side till 32 squares are counted.
Squares numbered 3,4, 11, 12, 20, 21, 27, 28 and 29 are the best
locations for the doors.
The remaining locations range from bad to almost disastrous.
However, doors to various rooms in the building are not required
to be according to the above scheme.
Fig. Location of Doors
2. SIZE/SHAPE
The width of the door should be half its height. Square doors
should be avoided. The door frame should be rectangular and any
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arches or changes should be above the door frame and separate
from it.
Fig. Size and Shape of Doors
3. NUMBERS
The total number of doors within a house should be in even
numbers but not multiples of ten. Similarly, the numbers of other
openings such as windows and ventilators should also be in even
numbers and not multiples of ten.
4. OBSTRUCTIONS
In front of any doorway or openings, there should be no
obstructions such as comers of walls, lift-wells, staircase railings,
pillars, columns, overlapping with other doors etc. There should
also not be any overhead obstructions such as beams or edges.
5. MUTUALLY DEPENDANT
If the outer doors are in the same direction with the inner door and
completely aligned to it, this is the best form of door alignment.
If the outer door is on the right hand or the left hand with respect to
the inner door and the two doors are perpendicular to each other,
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this is also a good combination. If the outer door is on the opposite
side with respect to the inner door and is on the opposite side to it,
this is a bad design.
Fig. Mutual Relationships of Doors
iii. INTERIOR LAYOUT
I. FIREPLACES
The ideal location of the fireplace within the house is the south-east
comer.
M
N
L
--------
1 r
Fig. Location of Fireplace
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n. POOJA ROOMS
The pooja or prayer room should be placed in the north-east comer of the
house. The following deities have specific directions which they must face
and this will determine the door location of the pooja room. Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva can face any of the four directions. Indra, Surya and
Karthikeya should face the east or west. Ganesha and Kubera should face
south. Hanuman should face south-west.
M
i
r f
i L
-----
T
Fig. Location of Pooja Room
IB. TOILETS
The toilets in the building should be located according to the following
layout scheme. Divide the building into a grid of 5X5 areas. Number it
clockwise from the top of the east side till 16 squares are counted.
Squares numbered 2 ,4, 8, 12, 14 and 16 are the best locations for the
doors. The remaining locations range from bad (3, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 13) to
almost disastrous (1,9, 11 and 15).
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The toilets should never be located above or below the pooja room, the
bedroom or the fire place. The toilet bowl should be placed facing either
north or west.
u
J
L
—
— —
—
■
u
Fig. Location of Toilets
IV. KITCHEN
The kitchen may be provided anywhere in the house except for the north
east, center or south-west.
□ □ n
□
Fig. Location of Kitchen
V. STUDY
The study should be located on the south-east, east or northern zone of the
house.
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VI.
VII.
□
□
□
Fig. Location of Study
COURT
The courtyard or void space is always located at the center of the house
ideally with an open corridor around it.
r
■ H I
□ □ □
r i n n
l_ JL .ll— J
n u n
Fig. Location of Courtyards
MASTER BEDROOM
The master bedroom should be located in the south-west or near the south
west side of the building.
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Fig. Location of Master Bedroom
v m . CHILDRENS ROOM
The children’s room should be located towards the north or east of the
master bedroom.
□ □
□ □
□ □ □ □
□ □
□ □
Fig. Location of Children’s Bedroom
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IX. GUEST ROOM
The guest bedroom should be located in the north-west zone of the house.
Fig. Location of Guest Room
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2.3 Examples of houses designed following the guidelines of
Vaastu9
In the following examples, it is illustrated that some of the guidelines of Vaastu have
been followed in most respects, but in some cases, a selective application is performed.
SOIIM
Fig. House plan with view
9 Raman, V.V., Principles and Practice of Vaastu, 1996.
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For example, in the Figure above, the courtyard is not in the absolute center of the house
as is prescribed in Vaastu. The form of the house is also not a perfect square or even a
rectangle.
NORTH
MAIM R O A D
h
1 / 1
«
U J
PC O JA
DRAWING
rouer
KITCHEN
DRESS
S O U T H
Fig. House plan-2
In the figure of house-plan-2, there are an uneven number of doors whereas the house
shape is a rectangle.
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N O R T H
M k I > R 0 A 0
Fig. House plan-3
In the figure of house plan-3, there are uneven number of doors and a very linear corridor
going right through the house. The shape of the overall house conforms to the rectangle
and is thus very good according to Vaastu.
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Chapter Three
An explanation behind some of the
guidelines of Vaastu
3.1 Examining some Vaastu guidelines with an attempt
towards explaining them.
The following Vaastu guidelines appear to have a scientific or logical background. These
explanations were derived during my discussions with my primary thesis advisor and
through my own understanding of the subject.
Site Selection
1. Directional alignment of the site along north-south and
2. Directional alignment of the site not along north-south.
The geometric axis of the plot should be aligned with the axis of the earth’s magnetic
field- one set of boundaries should be parallel and the other set should be perpendicular
to the axis.
This may have been advised with a perspective that most guidelines in Vaastu are based
on cardinal compass orientation and do not advise for their derivative
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3. Slope of the site being low in the center. This could be owing to the fact that it would
cause water logging during the monsoons due to heavy rainfall in most parts of India. The
slope-related guidelines are given in conjunction with the belief according to Vaastu that
the suns rays in the morning and evening are beneficial and should be absorbed and
during the afternoon, are harsh and harmful. Monsoons in India are south-westerly and
very intense -so the wind would blow into the country from the south-west toward the
north-east and move north and the water would need to flow in a certain direction
depending upon the location to prevent flooding.
4. Slope of the site being low in the north. “The north side of the building is the coldest,
darkest and usually the least used side because it receives no direct sunlight all winter.”
During this period, the northern wall and most its adjoining outdoor spaces are in
continual shade. Any ice, snow or water will remain there for long periods of time
making the area unusable. The building should be so shaped so that it north side slopes
towards the ground.
5. Symmetrical proportions of the site.
Square Proportions: If the ratio of two adjacent sides of a site is 1:1 and each angle is a 90
degree, it is a square site and deemed to be the best in overall growth and betterment of
the residents of such a space. It is a convenient shape to design within if the guidelines of
Vaastu are being followed throughout the design process.
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Rectangular Proportions: If the ratio of the width to the depth of the site is within 1:1.5
and all comers are 90 degrees such a site is found to be advisable. If the depth exceeds
twice width, the site becomes unsuitable and thus not advisable. The reason underlying
this guideline may be the ability to produce a design which complied with all the
remaining tenets or guidelines of Vaastu instead of limiting oneself within a linear plan
which did not suit Vaastu in its entirety.
On the other hand, keeping in mind the above guidelines, advanced research believes
differently. “A square house is not the optimum in any location. All shapes elongated on
the north-south axis work both in winter and summer with less efficiency than the square
ones. The optimum lies in every case in a form elongated somewhere along the east-west
direction.”1 0
6. Symmetrical shape of the site.
Square shapes: If the ratio of two adjacent sides of a site is 1:1 and each angle is a 90
degree, it is a square site and according to Vaastu, is deemed to the best in overall growth
and betterment of the residents of such a space. The reason behind this guideline being
that it is a convenient shape to design within if the guidelines of Vaastu are being
followed throughout the design process.
Rectangular Shape: If the ratio of the width to the depth of the site is within 1:1.5 and all
comers are 90 degrees such a site is found to be advisable. If the depth exceeds twice
width, the site becomes unsuitable and thus not advisable. The reason underlying this
1 0 Olgyay, Victor, Design With Climate, p. 88, 1963.
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guideline may be the desire to produce a design which is ideal in terms of Vaastu and
follows the guidelines from the beginning to completion.
These guidelines are also contradicted according to the justification in the previous
paragraph.
7. Asymmetrical shape of the site.
All the following shapes are not advisable due to the inconvenience a designer or
architect will encounter while designing within such a site and the discomfort the
residents would undergo.
1. OVAL 2. TRIANGULAR
3. PARALLELOGRAM 4. STAR SHAPED
5. TRIDENT 6. TORTOISE
7. BOW 8. CART SHAPED
9. REVERSE CART 10. TRAPEZIUM
11. MRIDANGAM (AN INDIAN DRUM) 12. SEMI-CIRCLE
13. HAND-FAN 14. WHEEL SHAPE
15. BIRDS BEAK
8. Deformation of the site by extension at the north-east.
This shape of a site is advisable. This adds to the amount of north light and to the amount
of morning rays of the sun which provide warmth and are said to be rich in Vitamin A.
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They can be absorbed by the site and its occupants during the morning hours in the
summer.
9. Deformation of the site bv reduction at the north-east.
This shape of the site is not advisable as it reduces the amount of north light and morning
rays to the site and its occupants.
10. Deformation of the site bv reduction at south-east.
This is said to be a good formation. It is advisable as it leads to reduced southern glare
and harsh rays of the sun.
11. Adjoining Roads.
Adjoining roads on one side at the northern edge are one of the best solutions for roads
running along one edge of the site, as it provides an open area for unobstructed north light
as no high buildings can come up in that direction.
Adjoining roads at the eastern edge are a good solution as it provides an open area for
unobstructed morning rays of the sun which are known to be very beneficial as they are
comforting when temperatures are low and are also known to be rich in Vitamin A.
Adjoining roads on two sides at the east and south are average as not many benefits can
be reaped from these directions according to the age old principles of Vaastu. In light of
today’s developments in the field of climatic control, rays from the sun of the southern
side of the building can be completely controlled by the use of overhangs and shading
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devices. South light is not desirable in the summer due to the extreme heat and glare it
generates in the afternoons but may be advantageous during the winters.
Adjoining roads on two sides at the east and north have the road on the north side of the
site to facilitate increased north light and on the east side to allow the beneficial morning
rays of the sun.
Most cases of having adjoining roads on all four sides running in all directions or running
only north-south or east-west are acceptable as it gives rise to a very accessible site. The
disadvantage of this is that it leaves the site with relatively no privacy. Roads on three
sides, depending upon the direction they go to are acceptable in some cases and
problematic in others. This differentiation is more keeping in mind the fact that one of the
pervious tenets was to align the site exactly north-south. Roads running on two sides and
only on one side have the same explanation.
Roads meeting at T-junctions along the edge of the site are totally undesirable according
to the guidelines of Vaastu even though present day understanding of town and city
planning states otherwise.
Roads at a dead-end are also unacceptable according to Vaastu, even though some of the
greatest building are built at the end of avenues and streets so as to make them a point of
interest.
12. Surrounding Factors.
Gate locations are determined by dividing the plot into a grid of 9 X 9 areas. Number it
clockwise form the top of the east side till 32 squares are counted. Squares numbered 3,
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4, 11, 12, 20, 21,27, 28 and 29 are the best locations for the gates. The remaining
locations range from bad to almost disastrous. These locations are limited more towards
the side of the plot edges and seem to logically be the most comfortable as far as entry
/exit design options of a plot are concerned.
13. Obstacles.
Obstacles such as roads sloping - either toward or away from the site, trees in front of the
gate, a comer of another house or building which is visually disturbing, a pillar or
column, gutter or mud pits, water drainage lines or sewers, temples, lift-wells or
staircases and railing are to be avoided as much as possible according to Vaastu. If the
horizontal distance between the door and the obstacle is reasonable enough and if a public
road is in between the door and the cause of the obstacle, the effect of the obstacle is
nullified.
Movement into and out of the house should be completely obstacle free for best living
conditions as these obstacles could be the cause of accidents for vehicles or even playing
children.
14. Trees planted in the following order constitute the most beneficial selection.
1 . Peepal Tree- On the west.
2. Bargad Tree (Banyan)- On the east.
3. Goolar Tree- On the south.
4. Kaith Tree- On the north.
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According to Vaastu, the shadow of any tree should not fall upon the house from 9.00 am
to 3.00 p.m. “Buildings blocked from exposure to the low winter sun between the hours
of 9.00am and 3.00pm cannot make direct use of the sun’s energy for heating.” During
the winter months, approximately 90% of the sun’s energy output occurs between these
hours. Surrounding elements such as buildings or tall trees may interfere with the use of
solar energy as a heating source.1 1
Trees should also be located at a distance from the house to ensure its structural stability
as the roots may encroach upon the foundation and weaken it.
15. Location of the main building.
The main building as an ideal option, should be placed symmetrically in the center of the
plot leaving equal open spaces on the north and south and similarly, equal open spaces on
the east and west sides of the plot According to Vaastu, this allows the plot to benefit
equally from all the advantages that each direction has to offer in terms of Vaastu design
guidelines Or, the building should be placed more towards the south and west side
leaving more space on the north and east sides of the plot. This allows the plot to absorb
the morning rays of the sun and also to access the maximum north light from that side of
the plot for rooms opening in that direction without the shadows of other buildings
interfering with the light. In light of today’s developments in the understanding of the sun
and its behavior, most of these justifications do not hold true. According to the modem
principles of light, less space should be kept toward the south and west sides of the plot
and more open space should be left toward the north and eastern sides of the plot.
1 1 Mazria, Edward, The Passive Solar Energy Book, p. 73, 1979. 75
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Many surrounding factors to the site affect the benefits one can reap from a good site.
These include not locating one’ s site near a graveyard or burial ground. The reason behind
this could be the unhappy associations this may have. Also, the avoidance of planting
certain trees near one’ s site could be to do with their kind of fruit, which may be
poisonous or the kind of shade they provide, which is insufficient and many others,
characteristic to that particular type of tree. Also, the location of wells or boulders or
other objects near the entrance to the site is to avoid any kind of visual disturbance to and
from the entrance way.
16. Planting of trees on the western side of the Site, leaving more vacant space in the
North-East on the site during construction and height limitation on the eastern side of a
site.
To ensure free and direct access to the morning sun’s rays, the guidelines of Vaastu
forbid any type of high or tall structures in the eastern side of the building. It also
prescribes that vacant space in the east must be more than that in the west.
All trees should be planted in the west and south to prevent the powerful rays of the sun
during the afternoons, specially in the warmer regions around the equator which include
parts of India. This again, indirectly benefits humans as well. This effect would be
reversed if tall trees were grown on the east.
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Detailed building layout and design
1. Size of the building.
In general, the ratio of sides of the building for the width to depth should be 1:1 or 1:1.5
or then 1:2. Making the proportions more rectangular than 1:2 results in a design not
supported or advised by the guidelines of Vaastu.
In discussion, this guideline is not supported by the advances in the understanding of
environmental study. “Buildings shaped without regard to the sun’s impact require large
amounts of energy to heat and cool. A building elongated along the east-west axis will
expose more surface area to the south during the winter for the collection of solar
radiation. This is also found to be the most efficient shape in all climates.”1 2
2. The highest and lowest point of the building.
Ideally, the building should have the same height throughout the site. In the other case,
the south-west, south and west part of the building should be the highest keeping the
terraces and open balconies on the north and east side. The north, east and north-east
sides should never be higher than the south, west and south-west sides. This guideline has
been so conceived to protect the building's open areas and lower areas from direct wind
and rain. Location of doors.
1 2 Mazria, Edward, The Passive Solar Energy Book. p. 79, 1979.
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3. The main doors and exit doors
Doors on any side of the building should be located according to the following layout
scheme. Divide the building into a grid of 9 X 9 areas. Number it clockwise form the top
of the east side till 32 squares are counted. Squares numbered 3,4, 11, 12, 20, 21, 27, 28
and 29 are the best locations for the doors.
The remaining locations range form bad to almost disastrous. These locations are limited
more towards the side of the building edges and seem to logically be the most
comfortable as far as entry and exit locations of a building are concerned.
However, doors to various rooms in the building are not required to be according to the
above scheme.
4. Obstructions in front of any doorway or openings.
There should be no obstructions such as comers of walls, lift-wells, staircase railings,
pillars, columns, overlapping with other doors etc. There should also not be any overhead
obstructions such as beams or edges. Most of this guideline is based on accessibility and
psychological comfort within the space and leads to a more organized and well planned
layout design in terms of traffic organization and circulation ease.
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5. Location of fireplaces.
The ideal location of the fireplace within the house is the south-east comer. This comer
has been advised in case of the fire going out of control, considering the direction in
which the wind blows, it will blow the flames away from the house.
6. Courtyards.
The courtyard or void space is always located at the center of the house ideally with an
open corridor around it. This design provides an ideal solution for passive cooling.
7. Location of the Prayer or Pooia room should be facing the western side of a residence.
Muslims in India usually offer prayers facing due west due to the fact Mecca is to the
west of India. However, Muslims in other regions of the world offer prayers to whichever
side Mecca is, with respect to their location.
Hindus offer prayers facing due west as well, as almost all of the Hindu deities face east,
excepting a few rare cases where the deities face west and people offer prayers facing
east.
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Chapter Four
The Web-based multimedia teaching tool
4.1 The Web1 3
The World-Wide Web
The official description describes the World-Wide Web as a "wide-area hypermedia
information retrieval initiative aiming to give universal access to a large universe of
documents that the World-Wide Web (WWW, W3) project has done is to provide the
user on computer network with a consistent means to access a variety of media in a
simplified fashion. Many popular software interface such as Mosaic have changed the
way people create and view information.
The Web began in March 1989 when Tim Bemers-Lee of CERN (a collective of
European high-energy physics researchers) proposed the project as a means of
transporting research and ideas effectively throughout the organization. Effective
communications was a goal of CERN’s for many years, as its members were located in a
number of countries.
Even years after its creation, the Web is constantly maturing: in December 1994 the
WWW was "growing at roughly 1 per cent a day - a doubling period of less than 10
1 3 Noble, Douglas and Puri, Sonal. Compass Website, 1996.
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weeks." [New Scientist]. Driven by the popularity of services like electronic mail, file
transfer, news groups, and the World-Wide Web, the Internet’s growth rate has been
astonishing:
1983:500 hosts
1987: 20,000 hosts
1992: 1,000,000 hosts
1994: 4,000,000 hosts
1996: 12,900,000 hosts
The Future of the Web
The World Wide Web is currently transforming the world as we know it. Fortunately for
us, if there is one aspect of this field that is advancing faster than any other, it is the ease
with which this technology can be learned.
The Internet
The Internet, by definition is a "network of networks." That is, it is a world-wide network
that links many smaller networks. In total, there are close to 39 million users of the
Internet, and on any given day it connects 20 million people in 50 countries. No one
"owns" the Internet. It is funded and managed locally within different countries. Having
access to the Internet means being able to send and receive email, partake in interactive
conferences , access information resources and network news, and transfer files.
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As the 21st century approaches, it seems inevitable that computer and
telecommunications technology will radically transform our world in the years to come.
The Internet and the World Wide Web, in particular, appear to be the protocol that will
lead us into the Information Age. The social and political implications for this new
technology are astounding. Never before has such an enormous amount of information
been available to a limitless number of people. Already, issues of censorship and free-
speech have come to take center stage, as the world scrambles to deal with the power of
modem technology.
The new wave in network technology is the Network Computers or "NC’s" as we know
them to be. Much more reasonable in cost and completely viable for uses related to the
Internet, these seem to be the future. The concept is the absence of a big hard disk which
is replaced by its capability to access information and applications over its local or the
global network.
The World Wide Web has already affected our educational, political, and commercial
sectors, and it now seems poised to affect every other aspect of human life. The days
where every home will have a computer are not far from the present. In order to keep up
with the technology of the future, one needs to catch up with the technology of the
present.
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Browsers
Most web browsers are very similar. This section describes some basic features of
Netscape Navigator, the most popular browser, but much of the information applies to
any web client. (The Navigator program is often referred to as "Netscape.")
If you don’t have a copy of Netscape Navigator, you can download one here.
http ://home.netscape.com
Basic browser features include:
A window displaying the current page -
This window behaves like any other window on a Mac or Windows computer: it can be
opened, closed, resized, and moved around on the screen. Scroll bars at the right side and
bottom of the window allow you to see parts of a page that are not currently visible (the
Page Up and Page Down keys also work in Navigator). The title of the current page
appears in the window’s title bar. If your computer has enough memory, you can run other
programs in other windows at the same time, or open several windows within Navigator.
Links that change in color when they have been used
By default, links appear underlined and in color — blue if you have not yet followed them,
purple if you have. Click once on a link to follow it to a new page. You can change these
colors if you like by setting new preferences.
There is a row of buttons at the top of the window. These include:
Home button
No matter you wander where on the web, the button with a picture of a house will bring
you back to the home page specified in your Preferences.
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Back and Forward buttons
Adorned with left- and right-pointing arrows, these buttons will take you back through
the pages you have visited since starting up the browser program. Logically enough, the
Forward button is only active if you have used the Back button. You can also use the Go
menu to retrace the history of your web-browsing session.
Stop button
This button allows you to abort an attempt to retrieve a page from a web server. If a page
is loading very slowly, you may want to change your mind and look at something else.
The Go menu
The Go menu maintains a list of the pages you have visited since starting the Netscape
program. You can go back to any of these pages by selecting their titles. This is more
efficient than clicking on the Back button repeatedly.
The Option menu and Preferences menu option
Netscape Navigator can be configured in many ways. The Options menu allows you to
hide and show different sets of controls and also to tell Navigator whether it should
automatically display images when it loads a page (not displaying images can speedup
performance a great deal).The Options menu also allows you to specify various
Preferences. These include the URL for your home-page (that is, the page that is loaded
when you launch Netscape and when you click on the Home button), the fonts used to
display text, your e-mail address, and many other settings. You or your system
administrator will need to set these preferences when Navigator is installed on your
computer, but after that you can leave them alone unless you need to change them.
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The Bookmarks menu
Often you will discover web pages to which you’d like to come back in the future. The
Bookmarks menu allows you to add these pages to a personal list.
Netscape Navigator has many features not mentioned here, but the ones described above
are enough to get you started. Once you become familiar with them, you will find the
browser very easy to use.
Net Jargon
What terminology related to the web really means:
A
Archie - A network service that searches FTP sites for files.
B
Browser - A software that provides an interface to the World-Wide Web.
C
CERN - The European collective of high-energy nuclear researchers.
Client - A computer or program that requests the services of another computer or
program.
Client-server model - A structure in which programs use and provide distributed services.
Collage - Collaborative software developed by the NCSA.
CSO - Central Services Organization. A service which facilitates user and address lookup
in databases.
D
Databases - Collections of various forms of information such as names, addresses, phone
numbers and many others.
E
Excite - A search engine used to search the web for information.
F
Finger - A service that responds to queries and retrieves user information remotely.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol. A common method of transferring files over the network.
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G
Gopher - A versatile menu-driven information service.
GIF - A file format used for viewing images on the web.
H
HTML - HyperText Markup Language. The standard language used for creating
hypermedia documents within the World-Wide Web.
HTML+ - The latest version of HTML.
HyperCard - A personal hypermedia/multimedia creation system for use on Apple
Computers.
Hyperlink - Connections between hypermedia or hypertext documents and other media.
Hypertext - Text that, when connected, has the ability to present other connected
documents.
HTTP - HyperText Transmission Protocol. The standard language that World-Wide Web
clients and servers use to communicate.
Hytelnet - A hypertext interface to telnet.
I
Internet - The global collective of computer networks.
Infoseek - A search engine used to search the web for information.
J
Java - A programming language developed that has made the WWW interactive.
JPEG - A file format used for viewing images on the web.
K
L
Lycos - A search engine used to search the web for information.
M
Mosaic - A versatile mouse-driven interface to the World-Wide Web developed by the
NCSA.
Magellan - A search engine used to search the web for information.
N
NCSA - National Center for Supercomputing Applications. A federally funded
organization whose mission is to develop and research high-technology resources for the
scientific community.
NSF - National Science Foundation. A federally funded organization which manages the
NSF net, which connects every major research institution and campus in the United Sates.
NNTP - News Network Transfer Protocol. A common method by which articles over
Usenet are transferred.
Netscape - A browser for the World-Wide Web.
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o
p
Q
R
s
Server - A program which provides service to other client programs.
Search Engines -Programs on the web used to find information.
SGML - Standard Generalized Markup Language. A generic language used for
representing documents.
Software Design Group - The group within NCSA that is responsible for designing
computer applications.
T
Techinfo - A common campus-wide information system developed at MIT.
Ted Nelson - The inventor of many common ideas related to hypertext, including the
word "hypertext" itself.
Telnet - A program which allows users to remotely use computers across networks.
Texinfo - A common campus-wide information system.
Tim Bemers-Lee - The inventor of the World-Wide Web.
U
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) - Standardized formatted entities within HTML
documents which specify a network service or document to link to.
Usenet - The global news-reading network.
V
Vannevar Bush- Originator of the concept of hypertext.
Veronica - A network service that allows users to search Gopher systems for documents.
VRML - Virtual Reality Modeling Language. It creates the infrastructure and conventions
of cyberspace on the web.
W
WAIS - Wide-Area Information Service. A service which allows users to intelligently
search for information among databases distributed throughout the Internet,
whois - A name lookup service.
WWW - World-Wide Web. The initiative to create a universal, hypermedia-based
method of access to information. Also used to refer to the Internet.
X
X.500 - A standard which defines electronic mail directory services. Used in Europe.
Y
Z
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4.2 Multimedia and the program
Multimedia- as simple as the name itself, represents a contemporary form of presentation
of any material which may include text, graphics, sound, film, animation, features such as
notepads or scoreboards and many more. Multimedia from its earliest definitions of
representing sound and light shows1 4 has grown immensely with the development of
enhanced equipment for its creation and now has the ability help express any form of
material, be it a tutorial or a game, in an exciting and involving way.
Most multimedia titles are covered under the categories of interactive games, quiz,
tutorials, learning aids, magazines on disk, business aids and many more. Games are the
vast majority of these multimedia titles and are produced almost at an approximate rate of
5,000 every year.
The multimedia program on Vaastu-Shilpa Shastra was designed to be one such title
which comes under the category of a learning aid. It is multimedia in that it includes text,
graphics, sound, animation, a notepad feature, a bookmark feature, a print feature and
many more such exciting aspects.
It comes under the title of a teaching tool wherein it is used as a teaching aid, either as
part of a class at a university or even for individuals who may possess interest in the area
1 4 Pentecost, Lloyd, 1997.
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of the tool. Similar tools that have been developed in the past, either web-based or not are
“VR-Solar”, a web-based simulation tool by Archit Jain from University of Southern
California in 1997, “A Computer Program to Teach Passive Solar Design”, a Macintosh
based tool developed using Macromedia Director by Serge Hrisafovic, in 1992,
“Solshad”, a DOS based program, which can do shadow outlines for buildings, developed
in 1988, “Solvelope” (1992) which can make Solar Envelopes for buildings, written by
U.P. Yeh, and “Mask”, a windows based program, developed in 1994 by Effendi
Settiadarma.1 5
Fig. The Opening Screen
1 5 Jain, Archit, 1997.
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It finally evolved into a web-based multimedia teaching tool to demonstrate the
guidelines of Vaastu in an objective and contemporary manner. This tool is now up and
running at the following location on the world-wide web.
http ://www.manipur.com/sonal
http :Uw ww.casarch.com/sonal/thesis
http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/mbs/Vaastu
Each of the various aspects of this web-site had a reason or justification behind its
creation. The development went through the following:
In the beginning, all the content of the program was divided into various categories
according to the way it would be located in the program. A flow chart of the content of
the whole program was created and modified many times over. At no stage were the total
number of levels allowed to exceed seven, the maximum advisable to prevent the user
from getting lost within the program being eight.1 6 The actual content of the program was
then laid out in a linear format and scrutinized thoroughly to achieve even levels and a
balance throughout.
1 6 Pentecost Lloyd, 1997.
90
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LAYOUT MAP OF THE PROGRAM
K N H M B f lJ f C M tW
yan-wiTTT! STniis’r
S T U B S
C 2 t? 9 ftfl*
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o i B S s n t u u s
ft K T V t k .»
r / - * r<* • ; trt
I l o n m n c
Rm^HKTTrwRir
1 c n r a n g g
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ttojr 1
le e re d treiZ u c t i rn c r jV I ta i« C iirn jS 3 p * l a c » i
T JrT E H S T SO .
Fig. The layout map within the program
Once the program content was Finalized, various kinds of screens required for the
presentation were assessed and eventually, each of them was laid out with a common
format. It was decided to maintain the layout of the button palette as a constant in each
screen, irrespective of the buttons required.
The most exciting aspect about deciding the layout of the screens was to actually make
the layout according to the design philosophy of Vaastu. The square or more precisely,
the nine-square grid, the underlying principle behind almost every aspect of design using
the formulae of the ’Vaastu Purusha Mandala’ or the ’Cosmic Man’ was used in every way
91
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possible. The main screen was divided into two parts. The left part of the screen- a square
portion was used as the main content area and the remaining linear portion on the right
hand side was kept a constant and included the button palette. The square left of the
screen was further divided into a grid of nine squares. Buttons along various levels of
menus were placed within this grid in certain symmetrical permutations. The main
content screens also used this grid and presented the matter in a combination of these
squares. The button palette too, was laid out on this nine-square grid and regulated into a
pattern. (See Figure of Button Palette in Chapter 4.2)
A color combination of earthy colors, in a way representing the traditions of India, the
originator of this knowledge, was used. Many patterns which also represented this system
were incorporated into the background and along the edges lending a sense of consistency
and completion to this program.
The actual production of the program involved the creation of each screen with its
differing layouts, colors and content. There are more than one hundred and sixty screens
that make up this program.
Images representing/explaining each of these guidelines were also created, some of which
were static and some, dynamic animation.
R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.
aTTKMPTKTI rSTPT.M^ATHlK
y l w d h ln lw * fm
r ttflM fa rtu t 3d4tlM
Fig. Animation playing
The sound files were created using music from renown musicians, specially flutists from
India and were edited to the right format and length including fading it in and out at
various levels of the program.
The final stage of the production cycle was the putting together of all the pieces, the most
crucial stage in all forms of development. The program was put together using bare-bone
HTML (Hypertext Mark-Up Language) without the aid of today’s sophisticated web-
development tools. An image-mapping program was used to link the various levels of the
program together using the buttons. A major portion of the production cycle was
automated using Perl scripts. Perl is a scripting language that allowed the manipulation
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and correction of many files at the same time, thereby cutting down tremendously on the
time factor.
From the ’multimedia’ angle, sound was integrated, with each HTML file having its own
sound files embedded within. Animation was presented within a new window that popped
up on arrival at any screen which contained animation. This allows the user to observe it
and then remove it out of the way and concentrate on the text portion of the content.
The original notepad function intended for the multimedia title was converted into a mail
tool which allowed the user to send himself his notes via e-mail on the spot.
Fig. The notepad feature
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Book-marking, as a function, was removed altogether as every browser available in the
market today has a similar function already built into it. Printing too was available in the
browser’s capabilities and thus did not need to be provided separately.
';Sj\
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Fig. The Print Function
The production cycle was required to be very meticulous as it involved the creation,
management and linkage of a large number of files- HTML files, graphic files, animation
files and sound files- a total of three hundred and fifty five in all.
95
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^ u i ^ r n i w i ^ p r o i g n u n i p t t a ^ i U i ^ p W ]
h»n« » ct|ydefcuf}-<]|utt f u n c tin iv ',r~ j
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, >j«U i)e ’^ t e ; > Q t ^ fc « x n m iy u i a r i j
cW rIc'o b hvwKWKthir itppcfW gfi t I !
— - n f|J if t(r^ b v r in !« * v i
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f “ . r * ” - n r a n t f J A u ^ ' - ' - ' * = - j .
’ !U s_. rr.x«*i * , c*. .-
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M ltm p fM T
Fig. The Quit Function
To summarize, the eight major techniques that were used throughout the production of
the information to help the user to navigate within are as follows:
1. The button palette: This palette was maintained a constant throughout the program to
help familiarize the user with a regularized form of navigation tools. This palette
alone contained all the functions that the user would need to utilize throughout his
usage of the program.
2. Location of the button palette: The button palette was placed in the lower right hand
comer- a location used in most forms of illustration such as architects drawing titles,
artists signatures and many others.
3. Menus at all levels: Selection menus were provided at every level to allow the user to
choose and understand exactly what course his research would take.
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4. The depth of the program: The program was limited to seven levels at every location
within the program to assist the user from getting lost- something that is so common
on the web.
5. Layout map: A layout map accessible from any screen on the program giving the
complete layout of the program has been provided. This map appears in a new
window and can be kept open through the entire duration of using the web-site.
6. Book-marking: This was a feature which was planned for the multimedia program
version but was found to be integrated within the functions of all browsers.
7. Color: Color coding of the screens was used with saffron, yellow and red being the
colors mainly for the menus and olive green being used for all the screens actually
containing the guidelines.
8. Sound: Various kinds of sound was used within the programs within various areas.
Different sound was used in the title screen, the introduction and textual areas, in the
menus and in the actual content.
The other features that could have been included in the process of making the program
more effective would have been film clips of walk-through sessions through houses
designed according to the guidelines of Vaastu. This was not incorporated due to the
format incompatibility of recording between India and the United States. Photographs of
existing houses designed using Vaastu would have been a positive addition but this too
was not possible due to accessibility.
This program/web-site now complete in most respects may give many advantages to the
intended users. It is platform independent and also browser independent. It may be
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updated with ease and would be accessible in its updated format immediately to the
whole world. It is accessible throughout the day and not limited to library timings as
would be a book. It may be accessed and used by students from anywhere in the world by
merely logging on to the world-wide web. Students would go through the entire program
including the theoretical and guideline portions to gain a complete insight into this
knowledge. Teachers may also use it for their own knowledge, classroom presentations or
as reference material. People with a general interest in this kind of knowledge could
access it worldwide. In the future, if similar collections of knowledge do crop up on the
Internet, this program could then be linked to those external sources. The biggest
advantage that this program would have a teaching tool would be that it is interactive and
would have the ability to hold the interest of the user for extended duration of time.
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4.3 Program content and functions
The organization and usage of the program is fairly simple. The whole program is divided
into two major sections, namely, "The Theory of Vaastu" and "Vaastu Guidelines".
Fig. The Main Menu Screen
The theory portion is dedicated to people with a general or philosophical interest in
Vaastu. The guideline section, which of a more practice oriented nature is further divided
into four subsections, namely, "Site Planning Guidelines", "The Ideal Site", "Layout
Design Guidelines" and "The Ideal Layout".
The user may choose one or more subsections based upon his level and area of interest.
The student, or even the architect, who wants to imbibe Vaastu from its beginning to its
end would follow up the theory portion and then move down to the site planning and
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layout design guideline links. On the other hand, someone who just required a quick
overview on how to go about designing a house would select the ideal site and layout
guideline links, which are less descriptive and more objective in nature.
The program consists of selection menus at various stages which lead into the content
area. The screen is divided into two parts. The left hand side contains the subject matter
and menu areas and the right hand side consists the navigational buttons.
Fig. Example layout of a screen
The left hand side is represented by either a simplistic menu or an image or animation
accompanied by a descriptive text of the guideline and in some cases, an attempted
explanation alongside. It may also contain a link to the corresponding ideal situation
where appropriate.
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The right hand side or navigational side has a collection of a maximum of nine buttons,
each with a distinctive letter of the alphabet to represent it and a function. The functions
represented by each of the alphabet or symbol is as follows:
Fig. Button Palette
M Return to the Main menu
N Open a notepad
B Add a bookmark
Left Arrow Return to the previous screen
Upward Arrow Return to the beginning of that section
Right Arrow Go to the next screen
L Display the layout map of the program
P Print that screen
Q Quit the program
The attempt of the program has been to propagate the guidelines of Vaastu in the best
possible way. To add credibility to this science, an explanation has been attempted for
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some of the guidelines. In some places, no explanation has been successfully reached. If
you have any suggestions for additions or improvements to this program, please contact:
Prof. Marc Schiler
or
Ms. Sonal K. Puri
University of Southern California
Watt Hall, School of Architecture
University Park Campus
Los Angeles CA 90089-0291
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Chapter Five
Conclusions
5.1 Conclusions
There were a multitude of conclusions drawn from this thesis. It was a study that began at
one source and adapted itself in many different ways to the many hurdles encountered
through its development.
The beginning.
The thesis began as a study of Vaastu and its relationship with similar collections of
ancient knowledge from around the world such as Feng Shui from China. Both the
collections were studied and a consensus was reached that to derive an effective
conclusion from the thesis I would need to limit myself to one area of study, namely,
Vaastu itself.
The earlier works containing descriptions of Vaastu were researched thoroughly and their
essence was extracted and compiled into a collection of guidelines grouped under the
headings of site guidelines and building design guidelines. These guidelines were then
examined for their scientific credibility, if any, and an attempt was made to explain the
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logic behind them. This exercise was perhaps the most enlightening of them all. It made
one realize that even though there are a few guidelines of Vaastu that possess a degree of
value to ihem, a large number of them were either without reason or with a reason that
may have been valid at the time that Vaastu was formulated or were actually not
advisable any more as they tended to be harmful.
The final aim of the thesis was to develop a software program that analyzed an existing
building for its compliance with Vaastu guidelines.
What succeeded and what did not.
All the aspects of extracting the guidelines were completed successfully without any hitch
by the end of the summer of 1996. The next level of pointing out the scientific or logical
basis was not as successful as most of these guidelines were probably valid in the time
that they were made. 5000 years later, today, a large amount of that reasoning is not valid
anymore. Some of the guidelines were justified, some proven to be wrong and some to
actually be avoided. At the end of this portion of the development of the thesis, it was
found that only about 10% of these guidelines could actually be accounted for in logical
terms. In some cases, the reasoning seems to point to a direction opposite to that pointed
to by Vaastu guidelines.
The next level of developing the software program began in Fall 1996. A great deal of
research was done in similar analytical tools such as the Building Design Advisor and
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Mask and a conclusion was then reached that due to the very format in which Vaastu
prescribes its guidelines, it is almost impossible to actually analyze a design for Vaastu
without knowing the full development cycle of not only the design but also the plot upon
which it would be constructed.
The decision of compiling the guidelines into a multimedia tutorial was taken soon
thereafter. All the guidelines were then compiled and laid out into specific screens. These
screens were linked into an overall layout, the details of which are described in the
multimedia chapter.
The program was authored to completion using a multimedia authoring tool called
SuperCard 3.0. After its completion, due to some software corruption, the whole
program, though complete, was unstable. To eliminate the problems that may have been
encountered had the program been lost altogether, the complete content of the program
was compiled into a web-site which contained this multimedia tutorial for Vaastu.
The transition from making a multimedia program to making a multimedia web-site was
complicated but did not require the whole process to be started from the beginning. Most
of the content -the screens for the program were used as-is and converted into HTML
documents with just the image as the content of each document to begin with. As these
images already contained the button palette and remaking every image would have been a
gigantic task, the button palette was also used in its original layout. The function of each
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button was modified slightly. The functions of the button leading to the main menu(M),
the next button (N), the previous button (P) and the back button (up arrow) remained
unchanged as the screens remained the same and in the same layout. The layout button
(L) instead of going to a layout screen, opened out a new window containing the layout
map which could be kept open in the background during the entire duration of using the
web-site and acted as a guide. This was an improvement on the previous idea wherein the
screen would open out with the layout map and then revert to the next screen in the same
window, thus restricting access to the window at all times. The print(P) and quit(Q)
buttons lost their usefulness as all browsers which would be used to display the web-site
would have them both as in built functions. The bookmark function(B) would also be
taken care of, by the browser itself. That button was converted into a “button help”. The
notepad(N) function which would have opened a notepad to enable the user to take notes
for his reference was converted into a mail-to tool wherein the browser opened out a
window to allow the user to send an e-mail with his notes to his own account.
Other aspects of the program were taken care of in a similar manner. Animation, which
was planned as an overlay on the screen at a particular location posed to be a problem as
web-publishing does not allow one to overlay images one on top of the other. Each clip of
animation was then converted into a GIF -animation using animator software which
would function on browsers and a new window, the size of the animation was opened out
to play this animation within.
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Sound became a problematic issue as web-publishing does not allow background sound
to play throughout a web-site. It tends to end once the screen within which it is contained
is closed. The problem that occurs is that once the user moves from one screen to another,
the sound stops playing abruptly and it is difficult to judge how long any user is going to
stay at one screen. The sound is thus embedded within each screen individually and
restarts when the screen is changed.
The change between formats was not completely seamless but did work at the end and
actually resulted in some improvements in the overall behavior of the program, the
biggest one being that fact that this web-site is now platform independent and universally
accessible.
Future work in this area.
The next level of development of this web-site would be on one hand, to translate it into a
text-based site for people with inadequate system resources and on the other hand, to add
a number of more advanced multimedia functions such as film, surround video and many
others.
In addition, to extend the content area of the program, subjects such as commercial
architecture, industrial areas, city planning, palaces, tombs, and other areas of design
besides merely residential design may be explored. The scientific explanations could be
studied further and also incorporated into the program. This would be made possible with
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a totally new approach to the research. At the outset of the thesis, the aim was to identify
the explanations to the guidelines if any. Towards the end of this research, it was found
that barely 10-15% of the guidelines could be justified, whether in terms of science,
religion or plain logic. A portion of the remaining guidelines were found to be valid at the
time of the formulation of Vaastu-5000 years ago. Since that time period, a large number
of these guideline have become redundant owing to social changes and adaptations in the
style of living.
In addition, it was also found that there are a large number of these guidelines that have
actually been refuted due to the advances in science and the understanding of
environmental behavior. This study has now evolved into a much larger project and is a
part of the future areas of research towards the understanding of Vaastu.
User interaction with the teaching tool.
After the completion of the web-site, a number of people were able to access the site and
use its various features. I was fortunate to get useful feedback from many of them, most
of which was encouraging. People found the graphics very captivating and relevant and
found the content to be presented in a very innovative manner.
One of the most common comments received was from people who tried to view the sites
through slow modems. As the site was graphic intensive, many people had trouble
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viewing it at a steady pace. Another common problem was that many people, due to the
lack of audio software, were unable to hear the background sound.
As far as using the content areas are concerned, not many people are able to make use of
them in the United States but many of my acquaintances in India are actually using this as
a tool for reference.
The initial usage for some was a bit confusing. Upon entering, many of them did not want
to go through the introduction after about two screens and almost no one went to the
theory screens. The animation screens were the most successful as they presented the
subject matter in a unique way. A few people tended to get lost deep into the program and
made use of the layout window to orient themselves at various levels.
In conclusion, the completion of this thesis has been through a process with many ups and
downs, many sudden decisions, and many changes. The final product, however has
developed into a very successful presentation of the subject matter of Vaastu in a way to
appeal to the modem world.
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Bibliography
1. Das, Sumitabha, Unix System V.4-Concepts and Applications, New Delhi: Tata
McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, 1993.
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Programming, Scottsdale: Coriolis Group Books, 1996.
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6. Jain, Archit, VR Solar- An Exploration in Web-based Architectural Teaching, Los
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13. Raja Rao, K.V., Science in Vaastu Applications, Bangalore: Vivekanand Press, 1995.
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N O
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15. Raman, V.V., Principles and Practice o f Vaastu Shastra, Jaipur: Vidya Bhavan,
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and Distributors, 1995.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Puri, Sonal Kamlesh
(author)
Core Title
Vaastu-Shilpa Shastra
Degree
Master of Building Science / Master in Biomedical Sciences
Degree Program
Building Science
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Architecture,OAI-PMH Harvest
Language
English
Contributor
Digitized by ProQuest
(provenance)
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c16-20558
Unique identifier
UC11337331
Identifier
1389999.pdf (filename),usctheses-c16-20558 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
1389999.pdf
Dmrecord
20558
Document Type
Thesis
Rights
Puri, Sonal Kamlesh
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA