Home is our abode of love where we expect to enjoy the fruits of our labor. We expect to enjoy our peace and happiness, progress and prosperity, health and wealth and faith and spiritual development from our home. If its surroundings and construction are poor and the atmosphere eerie, we can neither be happy nor healthy. Hence to ensure that the house is built properly, in modern times we take the help of the professionals who can build a good house with a solid foundation, strong walls, a proper structural balance with the right weight and pressure distribution, proper plumbing, electricity, air light etc. Some of the top design colleges in Maharashtra include the study of Vastu-Shastra to help students become competent interior designers upon graduation.
Importance of Vastu-Shastra
This branch of ancient Indian knowledge is called Vastu Sastra, or Vastu Shilpa sastra, or Vastu Nirvana sastra. It was employed to build not just houses but to plan and build entire towns and cities and temples.
The Impact of Vastu-Shastra in Planning and Design
The Vastu principles included: on which side(s) of the plot the road(s) should be, the size and shape of the plot, how far minimum away it should be from the public places, what type of plot/house should be there next to the house, the height-length-breath of the boundary and the rooms and their placement/function, the door and window placement etc. It makes the optimized ideal use of the magnetic, solar and spiritual forces and the five basic elements – Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Space.
The principles are based on very practical reasons. For example, if the East side boundary wall is too high one will not get enough sunlight. Like any other ancient sastra, Vastu must also be understood, interpreted and implemented based on the changed socio-economic conditions.
Take for example the rule “Bathroom should not be next to kitchen – fire and water must be away”. This is because in those days the kitchen-fire was produced by burning either wood or coal and bathroom water source was a well. So, this would dampen the firewood/coal. In the modern kitchen, if you have a gas stove at one corner and a tap and sink at the other corner, it’s not going to take you to hell. Similarly, the toilet in those days was an open space and for hygienic reasons used to be at the end of the house.
But the modern toilets are ok to be attached to bedrooms. In modern times, especially in cities, only a multi-millionaire can follow all the Vastu rules.
Vastu Purusha and Vastu Mandala
The diagram of Vastu Mandala, illustrates how the Vastu Purusha was pinned down by Brahma and the 44 Gods – face down, with his head to the North East and feet towards Southwest. It is divided into 9×9 = 81 parts. These Gods rule various aspects of life and have certain inherent qualities. Hence while constructing a building, the purpose/function of a room must be in tune with the nature of the deity placed and ruling that part. This is illustrated in the next picture. Not many houses are likely to have that many rooms. Hence adjustments can be made by combining several areas. One noteworthy point is that in the olden days the central portion ruled by Brahma was kept open.
The Vastu Principles
The principles of Vastu guide us about which side(s) of the plot the road(s) should be, the size and shape of the plot, how far minimum away it should be from the public places, what type of plot/house should be there next to the house, the height-length-breath of the boundary and the rooms and their placement/function, the door and window placement etc. It makes the optimized ideal use of the magnetic, solar and spiritual forces and the five basic elements – Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Space. The principles are based on very practical reasons. For example, if the East side boundary wall is too high one will not get enough sunlight.
Top Vastu Advise and Tips
General useful tips about construction, placement etc. If which room should be constructed in which direction is not kept in mind while planning a house, the whole building may go against the principles of Vastu Shastra and it will create a lot of troubles causing irreparable harm and loss to the owner/inmates. Some of the most important Vastu tips are:
- Doors of each room should be facing East
- Bedrooms should be in South and West
- Placement of mirrors on South and West wall are inauspicious
- While sleeping, head should be in the South or West direction but never in the North direction
- Pooja room should be in North East
- All idols and photographs should be facing East or West
- Toilet seats should be in North-South only. It should not be in East-West
- Out houses should not touch the compound wall of North and East side
- Stairs should always be in clock-wise direction
- Anything underground should be in North or East
- Anything above ground should be in South or West
- Porch should not touch the North or East compound wall
- Big trees should not be grown in North or East
- They should be in South or West side of the house
- Face East or North while reading or transacting any business deal
- Face East while cooking, West is allowed if there is no alternative but never face South while cooking
- Total number of doors and windows should be in even number for each floor, but should not end in zero like 10, 20, 30
- The width of the door should be half the height of the door
- The door should not be too high, too low, too wide or too narrow
- The doors should be rectangular, and square doors should always be avoided
- Ventilation should be looked after, and good cross ventilation should be present
- Never put the poster of crying girl, war scene, sexy scenes, angry man, owl, eagle etc., they are inauspicious
- Doors should open inside the room and not outside
- In bedrooms, I always use a bed with four legs only
- Never use box type beds because it stops the air circulation under the bed which is bad for health
- Never eat or drink in a standing position. No room should be built under the stairs
Conclusion
During the last 10 years, Vastu was first in fashion, then it became a fad, then came fanaticism and now society is full of blind beliefs. People with all kinds of false notions are rejecting excellent houses just because they are facing the west. The truth is that there is nothing against a west facing house in Vastu! Self-styled Vastu “expert consultants” are taking people for a ride. Instead, pursuing a B.Des (Bachelor of Design) in Space and Interior Design can help you better-understand Vastu and help potential clients in the future. Good luck!