Vastu Purusha Mandala
The Vastu Purusha Mandala is the sacred square grid at the heart of Vastu. It pictures the cosmic being Vastu Purusha lying face down, his head in the north-east and his feet in the south-west, held in place by 45 deities.
Also known as: vastu purush, vastu purush mandal, vastu mandala
In the best-known story, a vast being arose and began to fill the world. The gods pressed him face down to the earth and each held a part of his body in place, with Brahma at the centre. Brahma then blessed him: he would be honoured before any building begins. This is why a Vastu puja is performed when work starts and at the Griha Pravesh.
The mandala turns the story into a plan. A plot is divided into a grid, usually of 81 squares (9 × 9) for homes or 64 (8 × 8) for temples. Brahma takes the central squares, the Brahmasthan; twelve deities fill the rings around him; and thirty-two line the edge, which is why entrances are judged by these 32 padas.
Because the Purusha’s head lies in the north-east, that corner is kept light, clean and open, while his feet in the south-west are anchored with weight. Each part of his body matches a zone, so heavy structures over his vital points, the marmas, such as the centre, are avoided.
The mandala is a guiding grid, not a literal floor plan. Few modern homes are perfect squares, and consultants adapt it to the real shape of a plot or flat.