2.12. Sutradhara Rajasimha

Sutradhara Rajasimha. He is known to have composed Vasturaja, 183 a treatise on temple architecture. The extant work consists of twelve chapters and begins with the chapter I on Prasadotapatti termed as Caturdasajati nirnayadhikar. Ch. II imparts instructions regarding Drstidosa, Pranala, Jirnodhara etc., the III chapter is pertaining to Punayadhikara. In ch. IV subjects like Kurmasthapana, Dikpala, Jagati, in ch. V. Pratimavidhana (Iconography) in ch. Vedic Index Pitha laksana, in ch. VII bhittimana and prasadodayamana have been described. Chpts. VIII & IX treat the subjects of Mandovara, Garbhagrhodayamana and Dvara respectively. Ch. X imparts instructions regarding the construction of Sikhara. The 153. The work lies unpublished. A MS. of this work is in my private collection. Three copies of this work (Nos. 10990 (b) 11072 & 11105 ) are in the collection of MSS in Oriental Institute, Baroda. The alphabetical list of the MSS mentions Sutradhara Narsinha to be the author is left unknown in the case of the other two MSS But the work is well known as that of Rajasimha and hence the name Narsimha may be a wrong reading for Rajasimha.

Sources of Architectural Canons 275 subject of Dhvajadanda also is given here. In Ch. XI five fold divisions of ground plan of Nagara Prasada are given. The last chapter XII deals with the subject of the construction of Sandhara prasada. 154 These are the eminent known writers on architecture, who flourished in the first half of the second millenium.155 As regards the bearing of their treatises on Gujarat it may be noted that (i) Samarangana belong to Medapata (Mewad) which being in vicinity of Gujarat was in close contact with it, (ii) that the personal history of the author of Aparajitapraccha 154. Some more works available on architecture are: Pramanamanjari of Sutradhara Malla (Formerly published by N. Y. Gosai (1932 ). Recently, it is critically edited by Dr. (Miss) Priyabala Shah and published in the Meter S. University Oriental Series No. 3, Baroda (1958). The work deals with the construction of residential houses and contains no section on temple architecture. A number of other works on architecture are known from lists of MSS some of them are, Prayoga Manjari Samhita of Shri Kantha (MS. Nos. 3591: & 1735), Vastu Kambasutram and Sukhananda vastu of Sukhanda (MS No. 8263 & 3605 respectively) and Vastupaddhati of Tribhuvan Bhatta (Meter S. No. 12601) collected in the Oriental Institute, Baroda. The works known as Bedaya prasada tilaka of Sutradhara Virapala, Vastupradipa of Pandit Vasudeva, Vastukaustubha of Sutradhara Ganesa, Vastvadhyaya of Sutradhara Kausika are also referred to by Shri P. O. Sompura in Diparnva Into. p. 41. These works are all unpublished and hence it is not known whether any of them deal with temple architecture. Probably, most of them seem to be on secular architecture. 155. Some more works on architecture have comeforth in the last two Centuries. They are more or less compilation of extracts from earlier works mentioned above. Noteworthy among them are Laghu Silpa Jyotissara compiled by S. U. Sutar (1895); Silpa Sastra Sara Samgraha by Atmaram (1898); Silpa Dipaka by Gangadhara (2 nd edi. 1912), Brhad Silpa Sastra Pt. 1 (1931), Pt. II (1934) Pt. III (1936) by J. A. Sompura; Silpa Ratnakara by N. Meter Sompura (1939) and Kalyana Kalika Pt. I (1956) by Muni Kalyanvijaya.

276 The Structural Temples of Gujarat is unknown but that tradition associates him with a prince of the Caulukya Kingdom of Gujarat (iii) and that Mandana probably hailed from Gujarat and that he and his family lived in Mewad. From this it follows that the works of these authors may have some bearing on the architectural monuments of Gujarat. The investigation into the probability of this assumption may throw some light on the extent if any, of their bearing.