Aspects of proportions in Indian traditional domestic architecture

Abstract

Indian traditional architectural practice ‘Vastusastra’ (Vāstuśāstra) recommends some particular ratios as auspicious for the proportioning of domestic buildings. Similar ratios are found in some ancient buildings belonging to the classical ages in other parts of the world. Recent studies conducted by Dhileep, Kottuppillil, and Kurian [2019. “Orientation and Proportion in Indian Traditional Domestic Architecture.” Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 44 (1): 97–109], show that the square and the rectangle formed by the basic auspicious ratio (breadth:length) are geometrically related to a circle with a diameter equal to the length of the rectangle. The mathematical aspects behind these geometrical relationships and other ratio groups given in ‘Vastusastra’ (Vāstuśāstra) are investigated in this paper. The study reveals that the auspicious ratios help to convert the area of a circle to a rectangle and vice versa, without any loss in accuracy, while using the methods of their age. The traditional social practices are incorporated into these ratios and are modified adequately to fit into the traditional engineering practice.