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The Matsya Purana says that the treasure should be kept in the southern portion of the palace, to the further south of which should be the place for the

181 elephants. The elephantyard should have its doorway to the east or the 43 north. The arsenal should be made south-east. In the same direction should be the kitchen and houses for other works. The house of the royal priest should be to the left of the king's mansion where should also be the places for ministers Vedic professors and students, physicians, stables. and cow-sheds and store-houses. The stables should face the north, or the south. It is not good if it faces any other direction. The GP says that the royal kitchen should be made in the southeast with a ventilator just enough to let a monkey pass through. In the east, the sacrificial altar should be erected. The room for storing scents and flowers should be made in the north-east paved with slabs. The storeroom should be made in the north and the cowshed in the north-west.' 45 The bathroom having windows is to be made in the west. The room for storing sacrificial twigs, kusa-grass, fuel, weapons, etc. should be constructed in the south-west. The guest-room should be in the south. It should be furnished with beds, seats, sandals, water pots, fire, lamps, etc. It should be beautifully laid out and servants should be employed to look to their comfort.' 46 The Agni Purana says that the chamber of srigrha in a royal house-hold should be in the east, while the kitchen should occupy a site in the southeast corner. The bedroom should be in the south, while the arsenal should be on the south-west. The dining room should be in the western wing of

182 the palace and the granary should be in the northwest. The store-room should be on the north or idol room should be on the south-east.' 47 The Agni Purana further says that the commanders of army should be given quarters in the eastern quarter. Different regiments of the army should be provided in the south-eastern quarter. The officers who attend upon the ladies should reside in the southern quarter. Royal camps should be located in the south-western part. 48 The same text informs us that the chief ministers, treasures and architects should be located in the western direction. Men of judiciary belonging to the clan of Brahmans and eminent men should be located in the northern part; The military men should be located in the southern part, the tradesmen and sudras in the western part. The physicians should be provided with quarters in all directions and horses and army should be placed in all quarters." 50 The Mayamata a south Indian vastu text makes an extensive treatment of proper distribution of residential quarters and marketstalls. The Agni Purana refers to gold-smiths and smithy-shops in the south-eastern quarter of the city. The weavers in the western part and vaisyas in general to be in the southern part of the city. Distillers of liquor and those engaged in the service of the state should be located in the north-western quarter. Brahmans, ascetics and holymen in the northern part. Those who sell fruits and other articles and merchant community should be located in the north-eastern quarter.51

183 The Samarangana Sutradhara also allots south-east direction to the goldsmith and other artisans, the southern part to the vaisyas, potters and cart-wheelers. The north-west direction was reserved for the distillers and sellers of the wine, and north-east for the sellers of commodities like butter and fruits. The mercantile class should be installed in all the quarters of the city, so that the people should sell and purchase things which are not locally produced. 52 The Aparajitapriccha refers to goldsmiths and ivory workers, perfumes, etc. to have their dwellings in the eastern direction, dealers in betels, fruits, flowers to dwell in front of the palace or in the public palaces. The southern direction of the town was reserved for the dealers in iron. The cloth merchants should have their dwelling in the north-east, south-east, north, south and east. The weavers and the sellers of liquor should have their dwellings in the north-west and south-west respectively.* The palace complex should consist of a good number of salas scattered all round to serve the purpose of the kingdom and of household establishments. Bhoja gives a list of 50 such establishments of a princely palace in those days located in the different padas presided over by the 54 different pada-devatas. It may be remarked that such vast establishments of a palace is nowhere to be found in any extant silpa work. Even Manasara makes out a list of 42 pada palace establishments.55 It would appear that the canons of palace architecture remained basically unchanged right from the epic age down to the late

184 mediaeval period. V.S. Agarwal makes an interesting observation about the palace architecture. He states that the palace complex of king Dasaratha and prince Rama described by sage Valmiki in Ramayana, the palace of king Harsavardhana described by Banabhatta (in his Harsacharita) and those believed to have been built by the Mughal emperors like Akbar and Shahajahan belong to the same building tradition. 56