The story of Vaastu Purusha
According to legend, a huge being once threatened the world. The gods pressed him to the ground face down, with his head in the north-east and his feet in the south-west, and each god sat on a part of his body. Brahma blessed him, promising that people who honour him while building will live happily. This is why Vaastu puja is performed before construction.
The grid
The mandala divides a plot into squares. The most common layouts are the 64-square (8 x 8) Manduka grid, used for temples, and the 81-square (9 x 9) Paramashayika grid, used for homes. Forty-five deities sit in these squares: Brahma at the centre, with other gods arranged in rings around him.
What the grid tells us
- The head in the north-east should be kept light and pure — no toilets, heavy weights or clutter.
- The navel at the centre, the Brahmasthan, should be open.
- The feet in the south-west can carry weight, which is why heavy structures go there.
- The deities along the edges guide where doors, rooms and openings are most auspicious, such as the 32 entrance padas.
Using the mandala today
Architects who follow Vaastu overlay this grid on a floor plan to check where each room falls. Even in a flat, the same idea applies: draw your home's outline, find its centre and divide it into zones to see which areas support which activities.