Construction of the Play-House (nāṭyaśālā)

[Full title: Kohala on miscellaneous concepts of Nāṭya: Construction of the Play-house (nāṭya-śālā)]

अथ नाट्यशाला
कोहलाद्युक्तमार्गेण शालानिर्माणमाचरेत् ।
तत उद्धृत्य बाहुल्यभयात् किञ्चिन्मयोच्यते ॥ ३.४२ ॥

atha nāṭyaśālā
kohalādyuktamārgeṇa śālānirmāṇamācaret |
tata uddhṛtya bāhulyabhayāt kiñcinmayocyate || 3.42 ||

—(Saṅgītanārāyaṇa, Vol. II, p.424) 

In the third chapter of Saṅgītanārāyaṇa, Puruṣottama Miśra says that the theatre-house should be constructed in the manner that has been prescribed by Kohala and others. He says that he has taken the material from Kohala and others, but will summarise those for fear of superfluity. The description that follows has some details on construction, which is followed by a mantra that is to be recited just before raising the pillars and then, some other details from Saṅgītadāmodara. 

Following are the relevant verses.

तत्र च—
भूशुद्धिबलिकर्मादि कृत्वा भित्तिं प्रयोजयेत् ।
भित्तिव्यापारनिवृत्तौ स्थम्भानां स्थपनं भवेत् ॥ ३.४३ ॥
शुभे दिने सानुकूले स्थिरनक्षत्रलग्नयोः ।
स्थम्भानां स्थपनं कुर्यात्त्रिरात्रोपोषितो गुरुः ॥ ३.४४ ॥
स्थम्भाः स्युः खादिराः सार्ज्जाः पानसा राक्तचन्दनाः ।
अग्रन्थयो ह्यशुषिराः स्थूलाग्राश्चातिपिच्छिलाः ॥ ३.४५ ॥
तत्र मन्त्रः—
यथाऽचलो गुरुर्मेरुर्हिमवांश्च यथाऽचलः ।
यथा गिरिमहेन्द्रश्च तथा त्वमचलो भव ॥ ३.४६ ॥
एवं मन्त्रं समुच्चार्य स्थपयेत्स्तम्भमव्रणम् ।
दृश्यते यावदेतेषां तदर्धं निखनेद्भुवि ॥ ३.४७ ॥
तेषां मूलानि यत्नेन सिकताभिः प्रपूरयेत् ।
विदध्याद्दीर्घविस्तारौ पात्रनाट्यानुरूपतः ॥ ३.४८ ॥
दामोदरस्तु—
हस्तविंशतिविस्तारा रङ्गभूमिर्मनोहरा ।
इत्यह ।
शालामध्ये न कर्तव्यं स्तम्भानां स्थपनं बुधैः ॥ ३.४९ ॥
कुर्यादुपरिभागं तु दारुवृद्धिभिरावृतम् ।
गवाक्षभित्तयश्चित्रैः शालभञ्जीभिरन्विताः ॥ ३.५० ॥
कलशैश्च पताकाभिर्वितानैस्तोरणैरपि ।
उर्द्धवभागो युतः कार्यः पुष्पमाल्यैरलङ्कृतः ॥ ३.५१ ॥
अधोभागः कुट्टिमः स्यात् सुधाभिः परिलेपितः ।
नाति श्लक्ष्णं स्थलं कुर्यात् पादः स्खलति चेत्तथा ॥ ३.५२ ॥
धाम्नस्तृतीयभागेन नेपथ्यं पश्चिमादिशि ।
कारयेत्तत्र पात्राणां वेशनातोद्यकानि च ॥ ३.५३ ॥
इति नाट्यशालाम् ।

tatra ca—
bhūśuddhibalikarmādi kṛtvā bhittiṃ prayojayet |
bhittivyāpāranivṛttau sthambhānāṃ sthapanaṃ bhavet || 3.43 ||
śubhe dine sānukūle sthiranakṣatralagnayoḥ |
sthambhānāṃ sthapanaṃ kuryāttrirātropoṣito guruḥ || 3.44 ||
sthambhāḥ syuḥ khādirāḥ sārjjāḥ pānasā rāktacandanāḥ |
agranthayo hyaśuṣirāḥ sthūlāgrāścātipicchilāḥ || 3.45 ||
tatra mantraḥ—
yathā'calo gururmerurhimavāṃśca yathā'calaḥ |
yathā girimahendraśca tathā tvamacalo bhava || 3.46 ||
evaṃ mantraṃ samuccārya sthapayetstambhamavraṇam |
dṛśyate yāvadeteṣāṃ tadardhaṃ nikhanedbhuvi || 3.47 ||
teṣāṃ mūlāni yatnena sikatābhiḥ prapūrayet |
vidadhyāddīrghavistārau pātranāṭyānurūpataḥ || 3.48 ||
dāmodarastu—
hastaviṃśativistārā raṅgabhūmirmanoharā |
ityaha |
śālāmadhye na kartavyaṃ stambhānāṃ sthapanaṃ budhaiḥ || 3.49 ||
kuryāduparibhāgaṃ tu dāruvṛddhibhirāvṛtam |
gavākṣabhittayaścitraiḥ śālabhañjībhiranvitāḥ || 3.50 ||
kalaśaiśca patākābhirvitānaistoraṇairapi |
urddhavabhāgo yutaḥ kāryaḥ puṣpamālyairalaṅkṛtaḥ || 3.51 ||
adhobhāgaḥ kuṭṭimaḥ syāt sudhābhiḥ parilepitaḥ |
nāti ślakṣṇaṃ sthalaṃ kuryāt pādaḥ skhalati cettathā || 3.52 ||
dhāmnastṛtīyabhāgena nepathyaṃ paścimādiśi |
kārayettatra pātrāṇāṃ veśanātodyakāni ca || 3.53 ||
iti nāṭyaśālām | 

It is interesting to note that the above verses are found verbatim (albeit with a few minor variances) in Saṅgītārṇavacandrika of Nīlakaṇṭha^[1]. 

At the outset the appropriate oblations for bhū-śuddhi (purification of the earth) must be performed after which the foundation should be laid. Having built the foundation, the pillars must be erected. On a favourable and auspicious day, when the nakṣatra (stars) and lagna are sthira (positive), the pillars should be raised and the priest who is raising the pillar must observe a fast for three nights. The pillars are to be made from the khadira, sarja, panasa (jackwood) or rakta candana (red sandal) trees. The wood chosen for the pillars should not be knotted (agrantha) or hollow (aśuṣira), should have sufficient girth in the top part also (sthūlāgra) and be highly resinous (atipicchila). 

The [following] benediction is to be uttered, after which the pillars which are devoid of any wounds (damages) are to be erected—

यथाचलो गुरुर्मेरुर्-हिमवांश्च यथाचलः, यथा गिरि-महेन्द्रश्च तथा त्वमचलो भव

yathācalo gururmerur-himavāṃśca yathācalaḥ, yathā giri-mahendraśca tathā tvamacalo bhava

“May you stand as unmovable as the meru and himālaya and firm as a great king”.

Half the measure of the height of the pillars must be dug out and that pit should be filled up with sand. The length and breadth must be decided based on the requirements of the plays as well as the pātras (number of actors that might be on stage at a time etc.). According to Saṅgītadāmodara, the stage, built of a length of twenty hastas (hand lengths) will be attractive. 

Further, there must not be any pillars placed in the middle of the theatre. The ceiling should be covered with wood (dāru) and the walls must have many windows made in different styles and having dolls and decorative pieces made of śāla wood (śālabhañjikās) placed on them. The top of the ceiling should be embellished with several kalaśas (round pinnacles which are placed at the top of a temple), flags and a canopy with flower garlands. The lower platform should be plastered and must be smeared with lime. But the floor should not be too smooth as that might cause the feet to slip. One third of the whole stage area should be allocated for the green room and this should be in the western direction. Here the actors can change costumes and the instruments can be placed. 

A similar account can be found in the second chapter of Nāṭyaśāstra, though the construction of the play-house is dealt with in much more detail. Bharata describes three different types of play-houses which were devised by Viśvakarma, the divine architect. 

They are vikṛṣṭa (oval-shaped) which is large in size, caturaśra (square) which is of medium size and tryaśra (triangular) which is a small sized theatre-house. 

प्रैक्षागृहाणां सर्वेषां त्रिप्रकारो विधिः स्मृतः ।
विकृष्टश्चतुरश्रश्च त्रसश्रश्चैव प्रयोक्तृभिः ॥
कनीयस्तु स्मृतं त्र्यश्रं चतुरश्रं च मध्यमं ।
ज्येष्ठं विकृ ष्टं विज्ञेयं नाट्यवेश्मप्रयोक्तृभिः ॥

praikṣāgṛhāṇāṃ sarveṣāṃ triprakāro vidhiḥ smṛtaḥ |
vikṛṣṭaścaturaśraśca trasaśraścaiva prayoktṛbhiḥ ||
kanīyastu smṛtaṃ tryaśraṃ caturaśraṃ ca madhyamaṃ |
jyeṣṭhaṃ vikṛ ṣṭaṃ vijñeyaṃ nāṭyaveśmaprayoktṛbhiḥ || 

—Naṭyaśāstra of Bharatamuni: 1992: GOS Vol. II: p. 54

Bharata also gives much more information about the measurements and other details regarding the construction of the play-house. However, the views that Puruṣottama Miśrā presents looks like a mere abridgement of Bharata’s. There does not seem to be much new information that ‘Kohala and the others' have added to this.

It is interesting to note that works like Saṅgītadāmodara of Śubhaṅkara (15th century C.E.), which also belong to the tradition of works in the east-coast of India, do not have any mention of Kohala. Authors of works like Saṅgītanārāyaṇa, Saṅgītārṇavacandrikā etc. on many an occasion refer to this work. Even in the above extract, Puruṣottama Miśrā quotes Saṅgītadāmodara when he prescribes the measurement of the stage to be twenty hand-lengths. It is strange that this statement is not found in the text of Saṅgītadāmodara. In fact, there is no discussion on the subject of nāṭyaśālā-nirūpaṇam at all in this work). This raises doubts about the authenticity of the citations found in Saṅgītanārāyaṇa.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Saṅgītārṇavacandrikā: 1995: V. 4.262-273, pp. 203-204