2. Literature review
2.3 Settlement planning in Vedic period
2.3.11 Building bye-laws
48 The fishermen and butchers were to be placed in the north-west and west respectively, while the oilmen were given plots on the north. The quarter for architects were being placed either in the south-eastern or north-western plots.
The cottages of sweepers are supposed to be placed a Krosa away from the settlement towards the east. The cremation ground was generally located five hundred dandas to the north-east.
The royal palace should be provided an eastern-quarter dedicated to the deity Apa (অপ) and the royal complex should occupy about one-seventh of the entire settlement. Royal buildings at Jaipur occupy a closer proportion.
According to Bhoja, the central sites should be reserved for the nobility, physicians, astrologers and the pious. The extreme sites should be allotted to the Mlecchas (বেচ্ছ) or foreigners, people from lower castes, cruel professionals, soldiers and sentinels. The barracks of these soldiers should be placed adjacent to the town-gates. The quarter for ministers and counsellors should be relegated adjoining to these barracks for he believed the king should not live in proximity with his counsellors as it poses life risks.
However, the nobility, infantry and ministers should not be placed too far away. The quarters of the officers needed to be systematically placed throughout the town (Dutt, 1925).
49 The statement portrays the importance of ensuring proper width of streets, sufficient setbacks between built forms, sanitation and relevant civic facilities which may not be observed in case of unconscious growth of houses. This law emphasizes on systematic and comprehensive layout of the city, its walls, streets and lanes, distribution of sites and buildings in appropriate order.
2. ‘First plant the trees and erect the premises thereafter. Otherwise, they will not look graceful and seemly.’
The trees in discussion are Asvattha (অশ্বত্থ; ficus religiosa), Banian (েট; ficus indica), Udumbara (উদম্বুর/ যজ্ঞ ডুর্ুর; ficus racemosa), Plaksha (প্লক্ষ; ficus tusida), the red flower tree, the tree exuding milk (ক্ষীর েৃক্ষ; Kshira Vrksha), the Rubber tree (manihol glazionii), Banana and flower plants. The majority of these plants are of bulky proportion and have large foliage not suitable to be planted in domestic orchard. These type of trees provide shade to the wayfarers exposed to the sun and are meant to be planted in parks and promenades of the city, its avenues and streets. Such large trees are being discouraged to be placed in domestic precincts as they may pose difficulties to ensure proper daylight and ventilation to that particular house and its neighbours as well. Plants with anti- malarial properties such as the Nimba (ষ্টনর্; azadirachta indica) and the Bael (বেল; aegle marmelos) are generally recommended for domestic orchard.
3. ‘The houses of Brahmans should be Chatusala (চতুোল); that is, they must ocuupy the four sides of a quadrangle which is an open space in the center. Sala (োল) means a long structure of one span only. The houses of Kshatriyas should be Trisala (নত্রোল), i.e., occupying the three sides of a rectangular plot. The houses of Vaisyas should be Dvisala (নিোল), i.e., forming the two sides of a plot, while those of Sudras should be Ekasala (এ োল).’
The Trisala and Dvisala can be articulated to accommodate their open space adjacent to the road which may contain a flower garden. Thus if all the houses recede in one or both side of the streets, a roadside garden can be provided.
Although, there is no definitive proof for the existence of such layout, this bye- law aims to ensure a relief in the street façade which otherwise would have been monotonous.
50 4. ‘The Imperial Palaces should be raised to eleven storeys; the building of Brahmans to nine storeys; the building of provincial satraps (Samantas; িার্ন্ত) to five storeys; Vaisyas and Kshatriyas should have four storeyed buildings and Sudras should have their houses one to three storeys high. According to Mansara, the lower classes must on no account construct houses of more than a single storey. Vrihat Samhita (েৃহৎ সংনহতা) says that no building should be more than hundred cubits high.’
Thus the building bye-laws suggest definite number of storeys for specific classes of people. Proper town-planning requires correspondence and proportion between the width of streets and height of buildings rising along it.
Buildings with excessive and disproportionate height may obstruct light and wind. Folk-planning in ancient India addressed this issue by placing the people from higher social strata along the wide thoroughfares, while people from lower strata were relegated towards the relatively narrow roads, so that all the buildings along a particular street has similar number of storeys.
5. ‘As far as possible, the height of buildings in the same street should correspond, that is to say, one should not be lower and another higher.’
This rule ensures uniformity in the height of a building in the same street.
6. ‘A deviation from the fixed measurements of lengths, breadths and heights of respective buildings of the different classes of people is not conductive to good and should not be made.’
This rule also ensures all-round uniformity of buildings on the same street for only a particular class was allocated residence in the same street. As the wide streets divided the wards and each ward was occupied by different classes of people, it was unlikely that buildings on both sides of such a wide road had buildings with similar heights along it, which ensured diversity in uniformity.
7. ‘The houses shall be furnished with Verandas (Alinda; অষ্টলন্দ); and with flight of steps leading down from the high plinth of the veranda and stone-couches. A Vedika or raised seat should be constructed on each side of the door.’
According to Sister Nivedita, “Life in the clear air and under the cloudless skies of India, necessarily passed much in the open air. The street is kind of a club.”
51 8. ‘Outside the house and touching it there should be planted a foot-path (Vithika),
which should be as wide as one-third of the breadth of the house.’
Mansara suggests to place raised footpath on both sides of the streets. Such footpath formed an inseparable part of the house.
9. ‘All houses should face the royal roads and at their backs there should be Vithis or narrow lanes to allow passage for removal of offals and night-soil.’
The interesting feature of this bye-law, which has been reflected in other treaties as well as in old extant buildings is that, the doors never opened on the roads.
The rule for intervening spaces between two buildings is useful for ensuring sanitation.
From the above mentioned bye-laws, it is evident that co-operation between building construction and town-planning had long been practiced since Vedic period.