JMVRI Issue Number 13 is a Special Issue on Maharishi Vedic Architecture, the traditional science and art of design and construction of buildings, towns, and cities in Maharishi Vedic Science derived from that aspect of the Vedic Literature called Sthāpatya Veda (स्थापत्यवेदः). This Special Issue explores the application of the knowledge contained in Sthāpatya Veda from the perspectives of the fundamental theory and principles of Vedic Architecture, urban resilience, and creativity. Three papers respectively, explore the theoretical foundations of Maharishi Vedic Architecture, introduce adverse effects of rapid urbanisation and how they can be corrected through Maharishi Vedic Architecture, and, examine the impact of Maharishi Vedic Architecture on workforce creativity. This Special Issue is a response to a series of collaborative exchanges among international experts in Maharishi Vāstu Architecture and celebrates the March 2020 launch of Maharishi Vāstu Alliance, formed under the auspices of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute.
JMVRI Issue Number 13
JMVRI Paper 13.1
Maharishi Vedic Architecture: Vāstu for Wellbeing and Security
Author: Anna Bonshek
This paper can be downloaded via the following link:
Citation: Bonshek, A. (2020). Maharishi Vedic architecture: Vāstu for well-being and security. Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute, 13, 19-72.
Summary:
Practiced in India over centuries, yet relevant in contemporary architectural practice, the knowledge of Vāstu Shastra or Sthāpatya Veda is the approach considered in this paper. The term Vāstu Shastra literally means the ‘science of architecture’. It is understood to have originated in India and has been used and maintained on the Indian subcontinent. Its texts describe principles of design, measurement, layout, site preparation, spatial geometry, placement, symmetry, and orientation according to the cardinal directions. While Vāstu Shastra refers to the textual preservation of this science, the term Vāstu Vidya refers to the broader knowledge of Vāstu (‘vidya’ means knowledge).
Custodians of Sthāpatya Veda are known as Sthāpatis—experts in design and construction according to Vāstu Shastra, of which key texts include the Mānasāra (मानसार), Mayamata (मयमत), and Bṛihat Saṃhitā (बृहत्संहिता). Patra (2006, p. 199) notes that the first textual evidence of Vāstu Shastra is found in Ṛk Veda, where “the protector of the house (Vāstoṣpati) is invoked”. Ṛk Veda is held to be an ancient text, possibly as old as 1700 B.C.E. This paper presents a unique understanding of Ṛk Veda and Vāstu.
While Vāstu principles are seen in traditional Indian architecture, in contemporary design, and adapted by modern and contemporary architects, design elements of Vāstu—including, city planning and buildings aligned to the cardinal directions, applying specific geometry and proportions, a grid format around a central area, and perimeter enclosures—are also found in Balinese architecture, in the ancient Khmer architecture of Cambodia, and in Iranian architecture. For example, Goodarzi and Fazeli find traditional Iranian houses of Kashan, displaying ‘good design’, were built according to the principles of Vāstu Shastra using reference to eight directions, a geometric pattern or Mandala diagram, certain spatial organisations, and a central core.
In modern architecture, examples such as Le Corbusier’s city of Chandigarh in India have been characterised as paying respect to Vāstu, however Khilnani argued this description rests on “forced claims”; Chandigarh, for instance, did not incorporate indigenous Indian traditional design but rather reflects Western Modernism. Indeed, the practice of Vāstu in India, Chakrabarti asserted, is fragmented and not applied as an “architectural programme, but in bits and pieces” having “little role to play in the definition of the contemporary architectural idiom”.
In contrast, the approach of Vāstu has become, more recently, recognised as viable for successful urban planning, and ecological and sustainable development. In this paper, I will show Maharishi Vedic Architecture (MVA) to be a holistic, integrative approach that has much to contribute to the future of architecture with the potential to address the problems of architecture while fulfilling the aspirations of architects.