SAMARANGANA

SUTRADHARA
RAJA BHOJA
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RAJA BHOJA

• Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) was an

Indian king from the Paramara dynasty.
His kingdom was centred around the
Malwa region in central India, where his
capital Dhara-nagara (modern Dhār) was
located.
• Rajput King Bhoja is best known as a
patron of arts, literature, and sciences;
the establishment of the Bhoj Shala, a
centre for Sanskrit studies, is attributed
to him. He was a polymath, and several
books covering a wide range of topics
are attributed to him, he is also said to
have constructed a large number of
Shiva temples, although Bhojeshwar
Temple in Bhojpur (a city founded by
him) is the only surviving temple that can
be ascribed to him with certainty.
• Because of his patronage to scholars, Bhoja became one of the most
celebrated kings in the Indian history. After his death, he came to be
featured in several legends as a righteous scholar-king; the body of legends
clustered around him is comparable to that of the fabled Vikramaditya.

Military career
• While Bhoja became famous as a benevolent king and a patron of arts and
culture, he was also renowned as a warrior, he inherited a kingdom centred
around the Malwa region, and made several attempts to expand it with
varying results. Historical evidence indicates that Bhoja's kingdom extended
from Chittor in the north to upper Konkan in the south, and from the
Sabarmati River in the west to Vidisha in the east
Literary works
• Bhoja was renowned as a scholar-king, and several books are attributed
to him; because these books cover an enormous range of topics, it is not
certain if he actually wrote all these books or if he only commissioned
these works, acting as a patron of their actual writers. But it is known that
he was an expert on poetry, and the treatise Shringara-Prakasha was
definitely authored by him
Raja Bhoja Creations
SUMMARY
• The term Samarangana means Battle Field and Sutradhara means the
person holding the thread. The book is interpreted in multiple ways, one of
it is also interpreted as the Creator of Dwellings for Humans. The text was
penned by Raja Bhoj in 11th century in medieval town of Dhār. It remained
scattered manuscript until it was published in 19th century, which
contented 83 chapters and 7000 shlokas. It is still referred as
comprehensive work in field of medieval Indian architecture.
• The author predominantly talks about Vastu in which he talks in deeper
facets like Town planning, Residential Architecture, Temple Architecture,
Sculptural Arts, Mudras (i.e. Postures) and Yantras (i.e. Machines). He links
all these aspects with science and comes back to anthropometrics, where
he also narrates a human palm as a tool to measure.
• To be capable enough to design a fragment, according to the author, one
needs to have adequate knowledge about the whole
• The book prescribes many features for town planning which are land, elevation,
quality of soil, availability of water, orientation with sun and wind. The author
has also illustrated concerns for plan organization which are square grid, social
organization, accessibility and security. He keeps relating it to human body and
he portrays highway, roads and streets as arteries and veins. He also relates
some buildings with organs and their strategic locations, such as Citadel,
Treasury, Military Headquarters, etc.
• Orating about the dwellings, he demonstrated sixteen types of units. He again
illustrates concerns for building orientation in respect with sun and wind,
spatial organization, scale and dimensions and interior details. This units
reflected the aspects of astronomy and astrology. He also gave variants on
basis of the scale of units, small-middle-large. The author believes that internal
water channel and water outlet makes a prestigious dwelling. He also throws
light on temple architecture. He takes references from ancient literatures like
Matsyapurana for proportions and order. He believes temple architecture is
interpolated part of Samarangana Sutradhara, so he discusses Nagara
Temples along with Dravidian Temples.
• Author puts emphasis on construction details. He divides it further in three
subcategories, Suvibhakta which talks about brick bonds and discontinuing the
joint in brick course, Samata which refers to levelling each course of masonry
and Caru meaning aesthetics with function and going into visual beauty in
addition to utilitarian aspect of the details. He also throws light upon rasa in
arts and principles of making machines.
• To culminate, Indian architecture has three major addresses to appreciate.
First is where architecture is a social tool. Second is architecture as a product.
Third is architecture as an artifact.

Vimana

• CHAPTERS:
INTRODUCTION
Detailed specifications for brick masonry (in lime mortar) are given in chapter 41 of
Samarangana Sutradhara. Its title is Cayavidhi& and it comprises 33 stanzas. Part of the
information is repeated in chapter 48 dealing with faulty construction of houses.
In chapter 41, the first four stanzas specify in a nutshell good and bad quality construction
of brick masonry. Stanzas 5 to 20 describe different types of faults in brick construction
and the variety of calamities that may befall the owner of the house if these defects are not
avoided. This information is again given in chapter 48, stanzas 44 to 57. Stanzas 21 to 31
describe the methods and measures required to be taken, so as to avoid defective
construction of brick masonry. Thus, the chapter deals with every aspect of specifications
for brick masonry
GOOD QUALITIES OF BRICK MASONRY

The author mentions 20 good qualities of brick masonry and state that qualities
opposite to these are the bad points of brick masonry. These 20 points of good
quality brickwork are :
• Suvibhakta : Properly jointed, i.e. where the joints are properly broken and are
not located in one vertical line.
• Sama : Brickwork shall be level at each layer.
• Cäru : Pleasant looking. The choice of the bond should be such that it not only
provides the necessary strength but also permits variation in laying of bricks so
that the masonry looks beautiful.
• Caturasra : Corners of the wall and also angles between walls shall be perfect right
angles.
• Asambhränta : The brickwork shall be unidirectional and the bricks laid shall not
look as if scattered in all directions.
• Asandigdham : There should not be any gaps or hollows between inside and
outside layers of brickwork when viewed across.
• Avinäya : The brickwork shall be strong, imperishable.
• Anyabarhitam : The masonry should not spread in any direction.
• Anuttamam or Anumattam : The brickwork shall be of approved quality.
• Anudvrttam : The layers of bricks shall be perfectly horizontal and level throughout
the length of the masonry. The bricks should not be laid in a manner that the
layers form arcs with long radii.
• Akubjam : The brickwork should not be crooked in its breadth.
• Samänakhagam : Bricks of the same diamensions in length, width, and thickness shall
be used so that the height of the layers and the length between the joints in one layer
remain the same throughout the length as well as the width of the brick masonry.
• antam and antaraigam : The walls should be straight from outside as well as from
inside.
• Supär'vam : The sides of the walls shall be goodlooking.
• Sandhiszeligam..• The joints should be of the same width. The joints shall be horizontal
and level throughout their length.
• Supraliy(ham : Bricks shall be thoroughly bedded in mortar.
• Susandhi : All joints shall be properly flushed and packed with mortar so that they are
completely filled with mortar and no hollow is left anywhere.
• Ajimham : The brick masonry shall be perfectly straight and in plumb.
There are 20 points of bad quality work in contradiction to the above points of good quality.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEFECTS IN BRICK MASONRY
• The brickwork should not spread in any direction, east, west, south or north. Different
calamities may befall the owner if these faults are not avoided.
• Masonry should not form cracks or should not fall down, otherwise calamities will befall the
owner.
• The lengths of the diagonals of wall shall be such that the corners of the wall are perfect right
angles. If the thickness of the wail is not uniform throughout its length but is thicker at one
end, the diagonal of the wall shall not fulfil the Baudhäyana theorem, the square of the
diagonal is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides in a right angled triangle. This is taken
as a major defect in brick masonry. The author enumerated different types of calamities that
would befall the owner depending upon the wrong spread of the wall at different corners. From
the gravity of these calamities it is to be inferred that in no case this defect is allowed to creep
in the masonry.
• If the masonry started spreading in all directions in its width, it would have many
protuberances and the wall will have shape like the body of a goose. This type of construction
is not only faulty but increases the cost of construction so much that the owner of the house
becomes poor and finally. has to run away.
• On the other hand if the width of the wall is thinner at some places, the construction is called
Brahma and the owner has to suffer displeasure of the king in consequence of it.
• If the thickness of the wall is less in the central portion (along length) and is more at the ends,
it is called a tanumadhya fault and the owner may suffer from hunger.
• Each layer of brick of the wall shall be perfectly level. If the corners are at a higher level in
comparison to the middle part of the layer, the defect is called nimata and shall be avoided.
• If the layer of brick is having all the corners at a lower level in comparison to the middle
portion, the fault is called kürmonnata. It is a very great defect in masonry and shall be
avoided.
• If some of the corners are at a lower level and others at higher level in comparison to the
middle portion, the fault is called dravir.zak+•aya and may lead to the loss of wealth as its
name implies.