1 A GENERAL SURVEY For orstlized people a comfortable residence is as necessary as food and clothes In fart the standard of civilization svems to be regulated, amongst othor things, by durability, sxientife plan, msthetic constructtou, and auccessful finish of buildings, religious, residential or military. It 18, therefore, not surprising to find referone.s to the art of building in all branches of the literature of a cultured people. For an- ciont Indian writers, at any rate, architecture acems to have beena very fasoinating subject, masmuch as the Vedio, Buddhist, Epio, Paurfim, Agamic, Historical, Polie tical and even Astronomical literature beat traces of 16, Illustrations in detail ure hardly neoossary. We propose to refer briefly to only the representative branches of hiterature, I Vapic Lirgrarone In is nvoiless to say that the details of the art of butlding were systematically combodied for the frst time 10 the avowolly architectural troutises. ‘They arc nocessarily missing 1n non-architeotural literature, capecially that composed before the growth of the atte sastras. But casual referenoos to this art go as far back as the oldest cxisting literature of tho world. ‘The Vodic literature before tho Sitea poriod, however, contaius littlo about the structure of @ house. ‘That the people of that time had learnt tho art of butlding and used to reside in constructed houtos and not n caves is sufficiently clear, not only from the synanyms for « hous but also from the comp ment members of a building, such as doors, pillars, and * Compare Padie Indes, by MaeDonell nnd Keith, 1. 298-81. * Wor grb, dbieas ot Ahicuen, pstyi and bs ‘gevede, TI, 8, 6, 1V, 9,6, VII, 10, Atharva-rade, VIE, 88,1; 2, 6 6 Allareys-Brihaga, VIL, 1. Vella Index, p 230, ay w the aanue of the -vbole compound, ce2 PREFACE, Manasira-vistu-sastra. Some manuseripts have the title Manavasdra, Tt 18 stated on the fiy-leaf of some other manusoripts that those manusoripts were copied from a Silpa-sastra which is apparently meant to be the title of the original work. The etymological rendering of the word mdnasdra is ‘ the essence of measurement,’ sda meaning essence and mdna measurement. It may, however, be rendered by ‘ the standard measurement ' or ‘ the system of proportion’ as has been done by the author of An Essay on the architecture of the Hindus.’ In this senso the full title Mana Vastu-sistra would imply a Vestu-sistra or science of architecture, where the essence of measurement 1s contained, the standard measurement followed, or the system of proportions embodied.” ‘There is an ambiguity as regards tho signification of the title of this standard work. The colophon annexed to each of the seventy chapters contains the expression Manasdre Vastu-eistve. This is apparently in- tended to mean either the Véstu-idstia by Mdnasdra or the Vistu-bdstra named Ménasira.? In other words, Mdnasdra would seem to be such a nane as may be applied to the author as well as to the work.! In a passage in the treatise itself the term mdnasdra has beea used in both these senses.* Therein it is held that ‘all this is statedto bave been compiled by the ancient Minasdras. This gieat science was formerly revealed by all the gods beginmng with the Creator and the King of gods. Having been compiled therefrom, this treatise Mdnasdra is made + Rim Bi, p on for anstanee, Vedat ira, Tyote sira, Robin (euhgabny 1 Bat from the lontive une af xanaséva, the attr a The ante ambiguity apparently attiches to tle tle ick Sanatkwmaivvvistaites, Maye silptcstrs, GigasamButd or Bokrontty would ndiente cenly te Sst entagory ¢ eafife aferaga: arasreqer®: fermen: BRRgaTS Terre trea | aera fe arraToy red wr Srefcardirg (xx. 114-8).MANASARA 3 for the benefit of the people’, In this passage the term mdnasdra is once used in the sense of a generic name (of architects), and secondly as the utle of a treatise unplymg ‘ the essence of measurement,’ which is the etymologioal rendering of mdnasdra, This latter sense is explicitly expressed in another passage where it is stated that ‘having successively collected in a concise form the essence of measuremont fiom the sistra’ this treatise 1s compiled.! ‘The former sense ia also substantiated by several other passages. In one place at 1s stated that ‘the treatise, compiled by the sages or professors of architecture called Manasiras, was named after the sage or archi- teot Minasira.”” ‘There is yet another ambiguity in tlis passage, ‘Minasira being once a generic name in the plural and im a second place apersonal nawe im the aingular. As a generic name it 1s used in another passage where it is stated that there ale many Minasiras.’ > Then thirty-two sages or professors of arobitecture are specified by names‘, wherein mdna or measurement 1s associated with four names— Mina-stra, Muina-kalpa, Mina-bodha and Mana-vid. It 1s not unlikely that the sages 01 professors, with whose names mina or measurement 1s associated, are iutended to be distinguished from the rest as being speoualists 11 ‘weasuring’ which is a very important feature of the science of architecture It 1s also uxed exclusively as a personal name whea it is stated ‘by all groat sages or profossors, Manasira and others.’ * All the available external references to Manasdra, however, point to its berg used mostly as a pergoual name, In the Dava- huméra-eharita of Dandin, Minasira1s mentioned as the king of Malwa, With bin was engaged in war the king Rajabausa of Pataliputra who Sararat are erage MTR GT: AT | (XXXII. 2) arate age et Uted ATASTEghTARATE | (1. 39). {In the line two epibete, Bos nd Runs, ono an the plordd ind the other pplnd to tho natn Aténavira Saree gs RE | (LAVIIT, 11). “Ben pages 105, 86 note 8, 5 qermgiratataareriggad: | (Lxrx. 216),