South-west (Nairutya) in Vastu
The south-west, Nairutya, is the heaviest and most stable zone in Vastu, ruled by Nirriti and linked with Rahu and the earth element. It suits the master bedroom and heavy storage, and is kept high, closed and solid.
Also known as: nairitya kon, nairutya kona
Nairutya is ruled by Nirriti and is also associated with the Pitrs, the ancestors. Linked with Rahu and the earth element, it is the zone of weight, stability and holding power: the feet of the Vastu Purusha rest here, anchoring the whole home.
It is the classic place for the master bedroom, the room of the head of the family, and for heavy almirahs, lockers and storage. On a plot, the south-west is ideally the highest point, with the thickest walls and the fewest openings. An overhead water tank is also well placed here.
Tradition avoids a main entrance, a toilet, an underground tank or borewell, a pit or a large open void in the south-west. Each is said to weaken the stability this zone is meant to provide.
Because Nirriti is linked with misfortune in older texts, the south-west is sometimes thought of as a bad direction. In Vastu it is the opposite: handled well, its weight is exactly what steadies a household, which is why the head of the family sleeps here.