HISTORY OF VAASTU

The science of Vaastu is considered an integral part of the Indian architecture. According to modern historians Ferguson, Havell and Cunningham, this science developed during the period of 6000 BC and 3000 BC. Being a technical subject, it was confined only to the architects (Sthapathis) and handed over verbally or in the form of hand-written monographs. The principles of construction, architecture and sculpture, as enunciated in the treatises on temple architecture, have been incorporated in the science of Vaastu.

From ancient literature, we gather that Vaastu was treated as the science of construction of temples and royal palaces.

In the Matsya Purana, seventeen preceptors of Vaastu have been mentioned. They are Bhrugu, Atri, Vasista, Viswakarma, Maya, Narada, Nagnajit, Visalaksha, Purandara, Brahma, Kumaraswamy, Nandisa, Sounaka, Bhargava, Vasudeva, Anirudha, Sukra and Bruhaspathi.

The first official treatise on Vaastu, the Kasyapa Silpa, has been attributed to Sage Kasyapa.

In the treatise Agama Shastra, which explains the science of temples, Vaastu is considered as the basis for any type of construction. Excavations at Harappa and Mohenjodaro also indicate the influence of Vaastu on the Indus Valley Civilization.

This research article is submitted by Dr.K.Venkatesan BE, MTech, PGA, PhD, MsD, DDiv(hon).,. He is a post-graduate in Engineering and he hails from the ancestry of Abirami Pattar.