Vastumandanam of Sutradhara Mandana

In the 15th century A.D., the Vastumandana of Sutradhara Mandana was considered to be an authoritative treatise on architecture. This book consists of only eight chapters, and gives detailed description of a fort, the remains of which still exists near Udaipur city. Secular architecture, especially the Sala houses are described here in great details. Along with the specialization in architecture, the author was also proficient in Astrology and he stresses on Ecology. It is the only Vastu text, where description of war weapons and firearms were put on records. Though the description is not very clear, yet it unique on its own.

Graduated from Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata, Dr. Anasuya Bhowmik did her M.A. in Sanskrit, from the Calcutta University. She did Ph. D. in Puranic Texts on Sculpture and Architecture with Special Reference to the Matsyapurana from the Jadavpur University.

Married to an engineer, she developed keen interest in ancient architecture and the manuscripts, which inspired her to edit this book. She has written a book titled Glimpses of Ancient Indian Architecture. Another book Vahni Purana is in the press. Moreover she has delivered lectures in India and abroad on Architecture and Puranas. She has received title "Prajnyanacarya" from Bangiya Purana Parishat, Nadia, West Bengal. She has represented India in DICSEP-5 held in Croatia, August 11-16, 2018.

At preset she is associated with The Asiatic Society, Kolkata.

The Kalamialasastra series of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNC.A) is aimed at bringing to light the primary textual source material hitherto unknown, unpublished or inaccessible both in original language as also in translation. Under the aegis of this ongoing and long term research programme, the publication of the fundamental texts of Indian arts is undertaken along with annotations and translations. The critical edition of each text is prepared on the basis of several manuscripts, those being collated, transcribed, etc. along with the commentary of the source material, if any.

So far in this series, along with other works on different aspects of Indian arts, three seminal works on Indian architecture have been brought to light, namely, Mayamatam (edited and translated by Bruno Dagens), Silparatnakosa of Sthapaka Niranjana Mahapatra (edited and translated by Bettina Baumer and Rajendra Prasad Dash) and Silpa Prakasa of Ramacandra Mahapatra Kaula Bhaytaraka (edited and translated by Bettina Baumer, Rajendra Prasad Das and Sadanana Das). The present volume titled the Vastumandana of Sutradhara Mandana is another value addition and it is a matter of immense pleasure for us at IGNCA to publish this significant work on medieval Indian architecture from western India under the Kalamulasastra series. Sutradhara Mandana is believed to be the chief architect of Maharana of Kumbhalgarh and his fundamental writings were used as manuals by the practicing architects. Thus the Vastumandana is a critical landmark in the development of Indian architecture.

Dr. (Smt) Anasuya Bhowmick is a noted modern scholar and is an authority in the field of Indian architecture. She has painstakingly prepared the critical edition by surveying all the available manuscript material and has given a suitable English translation to it. She has also given various indices, charts and illustrations to make the concepts embedded in the text more intelligible to readers. The edition paves the way for a better comprehension of Indian architecture. This publication is another example of Dr. (Smt) Anasuya Bhowmick's scholarly contribution to the field of Indian architecture in particular and to Indian Arts in general. Dr. Sudhir Lall of the Kalakosa division is the managing editor of this volume, who contributed tirelessly, in bringing the output submitted by Dr. (Smt) Bhowmick to the stage of publication.

We fervently hope that the academic fraternity will welcome this significant contribution by IGNCA and will benefit from it The IGNCA looks forward to receiving feedback from the readers of this publication. We would appreciate your suggestions or comments for incorporation in the future editions of Vastumandana.

**Contents and Sample Pages**