Science behind Vastu I Site Shape I Odd shapes and remedies

Aarti Kaushik

We have been discussing about the different shapes of the plots, their significance and their impact on the residents. Let us discuss some more odd shapes and their effects and possible remedies. 

Effects of Odd Dimensions in a Site

a). Gou-mukhi (Cow faced) site is considered auspicious: Gau in Hindi means cow and it is considered very auspicious as it provides us with milk. If the dimensions of the site are such that the length of the site is less at the entrance and wider at the back like a trapezium, it is termed as the Gou-mukhi site. According to Vastu, if the plot is narrow in the front and wide at the back, like the face of a cow, then it is taken auspicious.

The Logic Reasoning - It is easy to derive a perfect square or a rectangular shape from such site and also to design a square or rectangle shaped house. The excess land in the back which can be used for various things like a kitchen garden, out-house, generator placement, parking etc.

b). Sher-mukhi or Simha-mukhi faced Site (Lion is considered inauspicious): Sher or Simha is referred to lion in Hindi/Sanskrit. According to Vastu, if the plot is wide in the front or entrance and narrow at the back, like the face of a lion, it is inauspicious.

The Logic Reasoning - In this plot, though a rectangle or square shaped house can be designed, the excess land will be in the front, and an outhouse or kitchen garden cannot be placed here. So, the excess space will be wasted and hence not considered worth the money spent.

Sites with cut corners are not good: If possible, do not purchase the cut part sites, the site does not look whole.

The Logic Reasoning - It will be difficult to design a house if any of the corners are cut, as some parts of the house will not have proper ventilation.

Sites with cut-corners in the northeast are not good and should not be purchased. It is like a headless body, because as per Vastu Purusha Mandala the Vastu Purusha's head lies in the Northeast. 

The Logic Reasoning - The northeast is the direction from which the sun light engulfs the house in the morning and hence should be kept open without any obstructions. So, if it belongs to someone else that portion cannot be kept open to the useful sunlight. But in case the site has a cut in the northeast, then there are remedies for it.

Sites with projections/extensions in the northwest, southeast or southwest are not considered good, but can be used after corrections by building a Vaastu compound wall. 

The Logic Reasoning - Having open spaces to the south and west of a site are not preferred, as the hot sunrays are projected towards these directions and will heat up the house. 

Projections, retractions & closed/cut corners

Not all plots are square or rectangular. There are some plots with projections or extensions, missing corners. Their effects are as follows:

This table only suggests the impact of the shapes of the site, but is not to be followed blindly. These impacts are just the outcomes of the experiences of the ancient pandits and the consideration of various other factors.

What are the practical remedies for the cut in the northeast plot?

The cut corners in the northeast are not good whereas extension in the NE is considered very good.

The Logic Reasoning - It is the direction which is considered most auspicious and the direction from where the morning sun rays surrounds the house hence should be kept open without any obstructions. Now, if the cut in the plot hampers the amount of sunlight and the morning sun rays from entering the house, the limited amount of sunlight will enter the house. Thus, it is not considered good. Alternatively, if the same area is projected or extended, it will have a lot of space for it to enter the house. Thus, ensuring more morning rays to come in. 

In such cases, if the cut in the northeast corner cannot be avoided, the following remedies may be taken into consideration which might be of great help. The inhabitants can place two mirrors in the northeast corner in such a way that an illusion can be created that this is extended to the corner. Also, the rays of the sun can reflect with the help of these mirrors thus filling the house with the beneficial morning sunrays. 

Life is not perfect as we think, similarly things in life we usually deal with are also not perfect, neither are the perfect shapes nor sizes of the plots. You must be wondering if there are no perfect shapes then are there any solutions for the odd shaped plots? So basically, irregular shapes usually are not soothing to see, and they have a negative effect on the psychology of the human beings. Square or rectangular shapes gives us a positive feeling and are also visually soothing to look at. Also, these irregular shapes are not easy to design i.e., to plan proper spaces for different areas. In such condition, we try to find out the most regular space that we can draw out of that site without wasting much of the area, and then the left-over spaces are used to the less used areas, lastly, we use these spaces for the landscape areas. The other alternative is that we can build a regular shape like a square or the rectangular compound wall around that site, if possible. 

The Logic Reasoning - The house is protected by the external compound wall, from all kind of intruders, so if we make a regular shaped compound wall and the remaining left over spaces can be used for activities like parking, guard house, generator placement, landscaping etc., then it can be a saviour.

Thus, we see from all the above points that the Vastu does not insist on changing the spaces or is not adamant about having a particular shape or size of the plot. But the intension is that the human beings can maximise the use of the natural resources, whenever and wherever possible. In our upcoming posts we will discuss about the types of soil and their impacts.

I am an Architect, Interior Designer and a Vastu Consultant, with more than a decade of experience in conceptualization, designing and construction of diverse architectural projects. An alumnus of IIT-Roorkee, I have a thorough background in architecture and interior designing with expertise in directing all project phases. My passion towards architecture inspires me to keep learning about various new trends yet following the age old traditions.