Is Vastu a cultural superstition or a long-lost design science that still applies?

NT Features

Inside architectural circles, there has not been a more heated debate than the relevance (or irrelevance) of Vastu Shastra in erecting structures of all sizes. On one extreme, there are renowned architects like Charles Correa and Geoffrey Bawa who have famously incorporated Vastu in a handful of their public projects. On the other side are mostly contemporary architects, who vehemently deny the validity of Vastu altogether. They can be found whining about their believer customer ruining their design for Vastu compliance.

Vastu has been a significant portion of the culture in the Indian subcontinent for over 8000 years. Vastu Shastra are texts on the traditional Indian system of architecture. They describe principles of design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement, and spatial geometry. Vastu designs aim to effortlessly incorporate architecture and the relative functions of various parts of a structure with nature. The ancient belief system utilises geometric patterns, symmetry, and directional alignments. It is the textual portion of Vastu Vidya- the broader knowledge about architecture and design theories from ancient India.

It was originally intended as a guideline for people who built their houses themselves or with the collective help of a community; developed to ensure that regardless of a person’s social standing, a minimum level of design sense is followed.

There are no strict rules in Vastu that must be followed like a commandment. Majority of it was developed keeping in mind the climate and social sciences, which has been proved by research and experiment. But, some of it is beyond rational thought -- neither provable nor disprovable with currently available scientific methods. Some of the applications are known to have considerable subjective benefits but no objectively assessable benefits. It takes into account ample natural light, cross-ventilation, and careful consideration of the psychological impact of the wide range of symbols in one’s home.

Vastu principles in practice today hold an underlying assumption that the project holds plenty of land and that there exists generous space between the buildings yet to be constructed. It does not consider technological advancements like layered glass panels, computational methods for energy and light modelling, artificial air purifiers, and much more. However, most of what is marketed as Vastu today is biassed towards making profits and propagating an ideology, instead of solving architectural problems. While Vastu Shastra has a good foundation in nature’s laws, a lot of it has been misconstrued as an act of blind faith.