Indian house elevations reflect the rich culture and history of the Hindu religion. The shape and arrangement of living spaces is believed to influence a person’s temperament, degree of stress, and even income. The Indian designs fall into a catego
Indian house elevations take in much more than simple efficiency or even aesthetics. Indian house design is based on a belief that a person’s quest for happiness is rewarded by various aspects of nature. Houses designed and arranged according to vastu are believed to make life happier and more serene.
In the Western world, housing design is an art that is finally taking a holistic look at what it means to be human, and how we relate to our living space. The practice of simply plunking down the maximum number of homes allowed in an allotted space, with no respect for diversity or individuality may finally be waning in some parts of the world.
In India, vastu shastra is believed to be useful as a roadmap that directs people toward better living. It would take a book to do justice to the subject, but here is an overview of what goes into Indian house elevations. (In this article, “elevation” is used in an architectural sense – as what a home looks like from the outside.)
Vastu sastra says that the world is made up of five elements called the pancha maha bhoota, and that the earth supports life because the five elements are balanced.
Earth is one element. It is a magnet with the northern and southern poles as centers of attraction. The earth’s magnetic field and gravitational force affects everything on earth.
Water as represented in its many forms such as steam, ice, river water, sea water and rain is part of every living plant and animal.
Air is a powerful life force because a being’s physical comfort is directly dependent on the qualities of air, like temperature, pressure, humidity, air flow, and the air’s content, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
Fire not only provides light and heat, it influences the seasons, human energy, passion, and enthusiasm.
Space, or Akasha is the shelter between beings and the other four elements. It is the primary conductor of energy sources such as sound, light, social energy, and cognitive energy.
The five elements must be in proper balance for man to live harmoniously. By properly designing buildings – particularly homes – in keeping with the five natural elements, a person’s whole outlook and conditions can be affected. Indian house elevations designed by the principals of vastu balance the five natural forces with the materials of building and with the humans themselves. Done properly, it can enhance well-being, and improve the outlook for health, prosperity, and happiness.
Indian house elevations have done for centuries what it has taken many western countries till very recently to realize, and that is that the application of vastu shastra principles can create homes that provide respite and a feeling of welcoming to the people who live there and anyone else who enters.
