Bharathiyata Shilpa Vyvastha

Bharathiya Shilpa Vyavastha – Much more than Architecture

Shilpa Shastra includes many books which cover many along with Civil Engineering, Architecture and Structural Engineering, along with Arts & Crafts like Black Smithy, Gold Smithy, Metallurgy, Metal Casting, Sculpting, Carpentry, Pottery, Terracotta, Bamboo Craft, Wood Craft, Ship and Boat Building, Vessel Making, Weaving, Dye Making & Dyeing, Paper Making, Printing………

What is Bharathiya Shilp Shastra? First thing first it is not a single book and definitely not something that covers only one subject or discipline. It is a collection of several books on several different subjects and disciplines. It includes many books which cover many Arts & Crafts like Black Smithy, Gold Smithy, Metallurgy, Metal Casting, Sculpting, Carpentry, Pottery, Terracotta, Bamboo Craft, Wood Craft, Ship and Boat Building, Vessel Making, Weaving, Dye Making & Dyeing, Paper Making, Printing along with Civil Engineering, Architecture and Structural Engineering.

Vasthu Shastra included Vasthu for living, Vasthu of temples, Vasthu for Forts, Vasthu for Palaces, Village planning, Town Planning, Port Cities and Ports Planning, Roads and Travel Infrastructure, watershed projects like Wells, Canals, Step wells, Lakes etc. grazing fields, forests, observatories and much more.

There are some 200 Shastras which have been preserved as Palm Leaf Manuscripts in various parts of the Country. And they deal with either one or many of the above topics. Some of them like Manasara or Manasollasa are a few thousand years old. Some of them have chapters on metallurgy, alloy making and metal casting also. One of them covers boat and ship building in detail. In this workshop on Bharathiya Shilp Shastras participants are just introduced into the world of Bharathiya Shilp Shastras.

Vasthu (General) it is not just the directions

There are five principles that are prerequisites for construction of a house. There are some set designs for building houses and building them to these specifications is good for the people living in them. There are regional variations in these designs. After all these considerations the “Directional Vasthu” needs to be put in place.

This is an introduction to General Vasthu. Which gives an insight into the actual Vasthu and not the “Directional Vasthu” as practiced in the “So called Modern Times”. There are five principles that are prerequisites for construction of a house. What are these? There are some conditions for sourcing of raw materials for construction. What are they? There are some set designs for building houses and building them to these specifications is good for the people living in them.

There are regional variations in these designs. What are these?  After all these considerations the “Directional Vasthu” needs to be put in place. But in today’s world these directional principles have taken more predominance over the rest of the things. Even these “Directional Principles” vary regionally. What are the regional variations of the directional principles? There are a minimum 10 different types of houses which are built and then there are regional variations in these.

Further to this there are variations in the houses according to the profession they practice (Jathi). For example, the house of a potter will be different in design to a house of a carpenter. All of these variations considered we have a few hundred thousand designs of houses. But the modern houses are all “Box Type” houses where there are very little variation only in the exterior design but they are either studio, 2BHK, 3BHK etc. The introductory workshop takes about 2.5hrs to 3hrs, whereas the complete workshop may take about 15 to 20 days of detailing along with some practical knowledge.

Temples – beyond the site plan

The temples of India were not just made for Religious congregations but they had many things beyond the site plan. There are three types of temples according to the shape of the “Grabha Griha”. Other than this there are a minimum of 20 styles of temple constructions that have been observed across the country.

The temples of India were not just made for Religious congregations but they had many things beyond the site plan. What is the basic principle of temple construction? There are three types of temples according to the shape of the “Grabha Griha”. What are they? There are a minimum of 20 styles of temple constructions that I have observed across the country. What are these? There will be a lot of unique features which are not seen in the site plan but have to be observed separately. What are these unique features of temples? How come most of the still existing temples are a few thousand years old? How do they survive that long?

The word Devalaya is usually translated as “Hindu Prayer Hall” or “Hindu Place of Worship” let us understand that the Devalayas were not only places of worship they were used for various purposes. Devalayas were used for Social gatherings, Samskaras and other functions, Preparing Medicine and for Medical purposes, library of manuscripts of scriptures, Schools, places for Arts & Culture, Kottara (Granary), Dharmshalas (Dormitory for travelers), Viprasattras (Hospice with Kitchen), Prasuthishalas (Maternity Homes) and in some cases Mutt (Monasteries) for Parivrajakas travelling Monks. So one can see how they actually differed from the idea of a Prayer Hall.   

In this workshop I deal with the philosophy of building temple, the various utilities of temple, the types of temples, the styles of constructions and the various out of the site plan unique features of temples that I have seen myself. About 8 to 10 hours workshop spread over two days or can be dealt in a single day too.

Forts of Bharat

Bharat is a land of forts. The 108 Rajas, 56 Maharajas and the 4 – 6 Chakravarthys have built forts which have withstood the rigours of nature for hundreds years. There are seven major types of forts Jala-durga(Water fort), Maru-durga (Desert Fort), Giri-durga (Hill fort), Mahi-durga (Earthen fort), Nri-durga (Human fort) and Saptha Mandala Durga.

Bharat is a land of forts. The 108 Rajas, 56 Maharajas and the 4 – 16 Chakravarthys have built forts which have withstood the rigours of nature for hundreds years. The Arthashastra the Indian treatise on economy, monarchy and military strategy describes six major types of forts differentiated by their major mode of defence.

1. Jala-durga(Water fort) a) Antardvipa-durga (island fortress) b) Sthala-durga (plain fortress).
2. Dhanvana or Maru-durga (Desert Fort)
3. Giri-durga (Hill fort) a) Giri Prantara-durga (On top of a hill), b) Giri-parshva-durga (Fort extending down the slopes of the hill) and c) Guha-durga (surrounded by hills).
4. Vana-durga (Forest fort) a) Khanjana-durga (Wet land surrounded by thorny forest) b) Sthambha-durga (Forest of ling trees).
5. Mahi-durga (Earthen fort) a) Mrid-durga (made of earthen walls), b) Parigha-durga: made of earthen walls, stone and brick and Panka-durga (Surrounded by Wet land) (fens).
6. Nri-durga (Human fort built in the plains)
7. SapthaMandalaDurga – AeluSuththinaKote (having 7 layers of fort walls to protect)

Each of these types had its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, according to the Manusmṛti, the Vana Durga (forest fort) suffers from Vanara (monkey) attacks, the Mahi Durga (earthen forts) gets swarmed with rodents, the Jala Durga (water forts) will be plagued by diseases etc. The Manusmṛti considers the Giri Durga (Hill fort) to be the best defensive structure. Some other Shilpa Shastras texts consider Giri Durga (hill forts) to be the abode of Gods and hence considered as most auspicious. The Mahabharata describes the Nri durga (Human fort) as the most effective fortification. Now I will be detailing about them with examples from my visits. 

Rajagrihas Palaces of Bharat

Chakravarthys, Maharajas, Rajas, Kshetrapals, Pattadhar, Mandaleshs Pattabhajs Praharakas and Asthagrahin were qualified to live in Palaces. But the type of Palaces varied. There are different types of Palaces each of them have different specifications.

Chakravarthys, Maharajas, Rajas, Kshetrapals, Pattadhar, Mandaleshs Pattabhajs Praharakas and Asthagrahin were qualified to live in Palaces. But the type of Palaces varied. There are different types of Palaces each of them have different specifications. Most of the palaces were built in a way such that the common man had access to the administrative head living there. Many of the palaces built in the late 1800’s were built mostly based on the western architecture. These had very grand designs and elaborate plans with banquet halls etc. Where were the Palaces built? How were they built? What were the features that were included?

Before getting into the features of the Raja Griha or Kshstriya Prasada (Royal Palace) the place/s where they have to be built and selection of the site becomes very important. The raja Grihas have to be establisned in the important cities and provinces of the Rajya (Kingdom). Ususlly the Brahma Bagha (central), Northern or Weatren region was selected to build the place. There are descriptions on howmany gates the compound should have, where the Rani’s quarters should be located, Mantris (ministers) and other royals were also accommodated in the same compound, the Senapathy (Commander of the army) and a Apta Mitra (close friend) of the Raja was also accommodated.  

In this 3hrs workshop the participants come to know about our Palaces. 

Water Management in Bharat Wells, Tanks, Ponds, Lakes, Streams and Rivers in Bharat

Other than having good water conservation social practices we also had a very nice water management system. Our water management system consisted of Wells, Tanks, Ponds, Kalyanis (step wells), Lakes, Streams and Rivers and the later three were connected by canals.

In Bharat we had almost an unlimited water resource. We had a very robust agriculture, horticulture, floriculture systems which were not just rain fed. There were other ‘Industries’ too which were water dependent. Other than having good water conservation social practices we also had a very nice water management system. Our water management system consisted of Wells, Tanks, Ponds, Kalyanis (step wells), Lakes, Streams and Rivers and the later three were connected by canals. This workshop deals with how the ancient people managed the water resource by creating Wells, Community Wells, Step Wells (Kalyanis), Ponds, Lakes, Canals, connecting them to Streams and Rivers.

Taking Karnataka Janapada I will be bringing out the beautiful aspect of ‘Watershed Management’ implemented by the rishis who lived here. As Karnataka itself got its name from ‘Keregala Nadu Karunadu’ which means Karnataka the land of lakes. I shall deal with the wonderful lake linking systems and the wells (Bavi), ponds (Kalyani or Kola), rocky ponds (Kunte), lakes (Kere), small streams (Thodu or Rajakaluve), streams (Thore) and rivers (Nadhi). The father of these systems is known to be Vidura from the Mahabharatha, he is said to be the native of present day Bidar district in North Karnataka.

Bharathiya Roads and travel infrastructure

The Utharpatha and the three branches of Dakshinapatha were the main arterial highways of Bharat which have mention in Panini’s literature (800 BC) and mention in Chandragupta’s time (320 BC) also Ashoka (232 BC) is said to have repaired them, built better infrastructure and put his edifices which still exist.

The Utharpatha and the three branches of Dakshinapatha were the main arterial highways of Bharat which have mention in Panini’s literature (approx 800 BC) and mention in Chandragupta’s time (approx 320 BC). Utharpatha started in present day Combodia (known as Kamboja) and ended in present day Afghanistan (known as Gandhara). This was later developed as the Grand Trunk Road by the British. The main Dakshinapatha started at Srinagar in Kashmir and ended at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu (present NH44).

The South-Eastern Dakshinapatha started at Varanasi (Banares) touched Kolkota and along the Eastern coast touched Kanyakumari connecting the port towns of Haldia, Tamralipta (West Bengal), Nanigaina (Puri), Katikardama (Cuttack), Kannagara (Konark), Kosamba (Balasore) Subarnarekha, Minagara (Odisha), Vishakapatnam, Muaslinpatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Chennai, Poombhuhar and Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) it reached Kanyakumari.

The South-Western Dakshinapatha started at Mathura went through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa etc. along the Western coat connecting the port towns of Shopara, Ratnagiri, Panaji, Karwar, Honnavara, Bhatkal, Mangalapuram (Ullala), Kumbla, Bekal, Pontalayani Kollam, Kozhikode, Kochi and Kollam and finally joining Kanyakumari. Along the whole of these highways there were Dharamshalas, Rest houses, shelters, hospices etc. competing the whole transport and travel system. It is recorded that after his assesion to the throne of Maghadha Shi.Chandragupta Maurya undertook repairs of these roads to make the movement of the Sharthavahas (the big group of Traders) to his whole Samrajya.

Then his grandson Samrat Ashoka too is said to have repaired and in many places expanded the width of these roads. Even to this day many edfices that Ashoka has made and left behind are there. Some of them are stone inscriptions some are what are known as “Ashoka Pillars” with the four lions facing the cardinal directions on top of the pillars and the Ashoka Chakra below them. In this workshop we will get introduced to this wonderful world.

Bharathiya Marine Technology – Various ways of boat and ship building

The Agasthya Shilpa Shastra has a few chapters dedicated to wood work, ship building and waterproofing of boats and ships. Some of the very complicated wood work joints are discussed here. The making of “Kettmāram” (precursor word for catamaran) is discussed and to this day the same Sutras are used to make them.

The Agasthya Shilpa Shastra has a few chapters dedicated to wood work and ship building. These also have chapters dedicated to waterproofing of boats and ships. Some of the very complicated wood work joints are discussed here and the making of the “Kettmāram” (precursor word for catamaran) is discussed and to this day the same Sutras are used to make them. Our people built shops as long as 50 meters (about 165ft) and about 7.5mts (25 feet) high. These ships were run by wind power and steered by people.

These ships were run by wind power and steered by people. Mesopotamian inscriptions indicate that Indian traders from the Indus valley—carrying copper, hardwoods, ivory, pearls, car. The region around the Indus river began to show visible increase in both the length and the frequency of maritime voyages by 3000 BCE. The world’s first dock at Lothal (2400 BCE) was located away from the main current to avoid deposition of silt. Modern oceanographers have observed that the Harappans must have possessed great knowledge relating to tides in order to build such a dock on the ever-shifting course of the Sabarmati, as well as exemplary hydrography and maritime engineering. This was the earliest known dock found in the world, equipped to berth and service ships.

Bharathiya Pothashraya Port cites of Bharat

Starting from Gwadar which is now in the present Baluchisthan – Pakistan, which was a major port to Sittwe in Burma Bharat had close 34 ports as a Sagar Mala (necklace of ports) all along it’s coast. Most of them are at present also major ports. It was these ports which played the major role in Bharathiya Vanijya and Vyapaar (Trade and Commerce).

Starting from Gwadar which is now in the present Baluchisthan – Pakistan, which was a major port to Sittwe in Burma Bharat had close 34 ports as a Sagar Mala (necklace of ports) all along it’s coast. Most of them are at present also major ports. Some of them were also docks where ships were repaired, maintained and built too. It should be mentioned here that Tamil Pandya embassies were received by Augustus Caesar and Roman historians mention a total of four embassies from the Tamil country. Pliny famously mentions the expenditure of one million Sestertii every year on goods such pepper, fine cloth and gems from the southern coasts of India.

He also mentions 10,000 horses shipped to this region each year. Tamil and southern Sanskrit name inscriptions have been found in Luxor in Egypt. In turn Tamil literature from the Classical period mentions foreign ships arriving for trade and paying in gold for products. The major port on the Tamil Nadu coast from that time has been Thoothukudi (Tuticorin). Ullal, Kozikode, Cochin and Kollam have been the major west costal ports for thousands of years. Machlipatnam (Muslinpatnam), Tamralipta, Haldiya, Chittagong and Sittwe have been majot ports on the eastern coast exporting Muslin and other textile, spices and timber. It was these ports which played the major role in Bharathiya Vanijya and Vyapaar (Trade and Commerce).

This 3 hours’ workshop takes a look into the ports of Bharat and the exports, trade, commerce and business.  

Bharathiya Village planning

“Uuru” in Kannada and Telegu is from the Sanskrit “Uuru” which means the thighs and this is equated to the business class of people. “Pind” in Punjabi is the word for Village which means “Womb”; “Dehaath” is the Hindi word for village this is indicative of the Dehh Body and Haath

Villages were there backbone of Bharat for ages. Planning of villages took utmost importance and a lot went into planning Villages. A Bharathiya village is, has been and will be the basic unit of the Bharathiya Samaja. But unfortunately the village of modern Bharat or many of the ‘Developing’ countries are the most neglected lot.

Whereas in ancient Bharath there was a mention in the Vedas ‘Vishvam Pushtam Gramin Asmin Ananthuram’ which means “Village was the provider for the whole world without expecting anything in return.” This was a way of life in villages of Bharat. Meaning that the village was next to God hence it was called ‘Uru’ meaning ‘Thigh’ that is the chest and stomach in some of the languages, ‘Pind’ which means the origin of life in some languages. 

There were basically five types of villages in Bharat.

1. Villages in hilly areas
2. Remote villages
3. Villages in highways
4. Sub-Villages
5. Bharathiya Gram

The term used in most Shilpa Shastra for village is Grama. This word Grama is also having a “Grih” root hence it is like house to a big community. It implies a village. But it is interesting to note some of the terms and words used to denote village from other Bharathiya languages. “Uuru” in Kannada and Telegu is from the Sanskrit “Uuru” which means the thighs and this is equated to the business class of people “uuru tadassya yad vaysha” which means it is a place where people come together with Business interest. “Pind” in Punjabi is the word for Village which means “Womb”. “Dehaath” is the Hindi word for village this is indicative of the Dehh Body and Haath Hands again indicating professional work again.

Bharathiya Town Planning

Though villages have been the backbone of Bharat, towns and cities have also existed alonside. Varanasi (Banaras) is one of the oldest existing cities in the world. Most of them had a fort attached to them or some of them were built inside the fort.

Though villages have been the backbone of Bharat, towns and cities have also existed alonside. Varanasi (Banaras) is one of the oldest existing cities in the world. Alongside Mathura, Dwarka, Mangalapuram, Thiruanathapuram, Madhurai, Vishakapatnam, Kolkota, Patna, Prayagraj (Alhabad) are some of the other few cities which are worth mentioning. Most of them had a fort attached to them or some of them were built inside the fort.

There were nine categories of cities.

1. Kheta
2. Kharvata
3. Kubjaka
4. Pura
5. Nagara
6. Nagari
7. Rajadhani
8. Pattaña

These are the eight types of towns and cities. In this workshop I will be dealing with each of them in detail with examples from history.

Other aspects of Bharathiya Shilpa

Five/six ‘Vishwakarma’ Jaathis of Lohar (Black Smith), Sonar (Gold Smith), Bhaddhaei (Carpenter), Kahaya or Vaddar (Stone Worker), Khasar (Vessel Makers) and Beldar (Mason) then Jaathis who specialised in their respective crafts like Burud (Bamboo Worker), Kumbhar (Potter), Julaha (Weaver), Rangare (Dyer), Kagazi (Paper-Maker), Navikaar (Boat-Builder) and Ojhas (Metal Casters) were all called Shilpakars. 

Bharathiya Shilpa has many other aspects, these are some of them: Black Smithy, Gold Smithy, Metallurgy, Metal Casting, Stone and Wooden Sculpting, Carpentry, Pottery, Terracotta, Bamboo Craft, Wood Craft, Vessel Making, Weaving, Dye Making & Dyeing, Paper Making and many more. Five/six ‘Vishwakarma’ Jaathis or rather I sometimes feel that ‘Vishwakarma’ was probably a separate Varna. Lohar (Black Smith), Sonar (Gold Smith), Bhaddhaei (Carpenter), Kahaya or Vaddar (Stone Worker), Khasar (Vessel Makers) and also Beldar (Mason) are the six Jaathis that consisted of the five/six Vishwakarma Jaathis. Then there are other Jaathis who specialised in their respective crafts like Burud (Bamboo Worker), Kumbhar (Potter), Julaha (Weaver), Rangare (Dyer), Kagazi (Paper-Maker), Navikaar (Boat-Builder) and Ojhas (Metal Casters) all these Jaathis are considered as Shilpakars. 

If you see the above list you will find that most of these skills require a kind of a technical bent and the tools used, handling of the raw material, processing of the product and creating a very fabulous finished goods required technicality. Moreover many of the products made by these Artisans were used for construction or post construction of any building. In construction of stone buildings some of the joiunts were sealed with certain kind of alloys; this work was sometimes done wither by the Lohar (Black Smiths) or the Ojhas (Metal Casters). The tiles required for roofing and in some places for flooring were made by the Kumbhar (potter). There was interdependency amongst these Jathis (Communities of Artisans).