Samarangana-sutradhara (Summary)
by D. N. Shukla | 1960 | 15,592 words | ISBN-10: 8121506115 | ISBN-13: 9788121506113
This page describes The door and its Merits and Demerits (Dvara-gunadosha) which is chapter 41 English summary of the Samarangana-Sutradhara by Bhoja. This work in Sanskrit representing a voluminous treatise on Vastu-Shastra (the science of Architecture), encompassing a broad range of subjects, such as Architecture, Shilpa-shastra (Iconography, Arts and Crafts) but also deals with Creation-theory, Geography, Philosophu, etc.
Chapter 41 - The door and its Merits and Demerits (Dvāra-guṇadoṣa)
[Note: This chapter corresponds to Chapter 39 of the original Samarāṅgaṇa-Sūtradhāra]
This chapter is encyclopaedic in nature. The door has formed a separate chapter in the Study (Part III). There all the details are examined. Here it is enough to say that though avowedly it deals with the doors, their varieties, their placing in a particular direction and on a particular site presided over by a particular deity, it also throws side-lights on some of the elements of architecture, such as the number of the storeys that houses belonging to different castes and communities can have. Another important topic of description in this chapter is the doctrine of Vedha. Vedha of the door with street (Rathyā), platform etc. etc. must be avoided (sec details in the Study Proper.)
Then follow the qualities of the doors. Other details like building byelaws (bye-laws?) can also be seen in the Study (cf. Part III.)