We remember a few years back it was with some trepidation that I had gone to see the movie ‘Vaastu Shastra’. Since I was investing in my first home I had imagined the movie plot to have some thrust on vastu and because of which the hero had to fight evil!! Alas! The movie had no such signs. However, the name spurred me to find out a few essential vastu elements for our homes.
You may ask, why is vastu so important? I don’t believe in vastu, so why should I invest in a vastu compliant property Vastu in the simplest words, is the science of direction that combines all the five elements of nature and balances them with man and materials. It is a subtle way of bringing in harmony and channelizing energies around you. And for the latter, think about it, you might not be a vastu believer, but to increase the worth of property, whether you resell or you rent, your successor, might be a believer. Why not give your investor that benefit?
Vastu Shastra is often considered very complex and lot of investors . These are few aspects that answer most of the questions I have been asked frequently.
The door to the house is considered the most important feature of a house for many reasons. For one, it gives the first impression about your residence; moreover it is the point from where your home begins. According to Vastu the main entrance should be the path from where positive energy flows into the house. Keeping this in mind it is advisable if the entrance to the house is from the East, North and North East.
According to the vastu doctrine, the bathroom should be on the East, the kitchen in the Southeast or the Northwest side with the cook facing either, East or North. It’s generally better if fire or the heat generating elements are placed on the Southeast side.
The master bedroom should preferably be in the South/Southwest direction with the dining room/eating area placed in the West.
Have the major walls painted in lighter hues, as these shades promote relaxation, harmony and peace. You would have experienced tension in a dark room, or some chill running down your spine, if the room is painted red. On the other hand, red is a good colour for eateries, as it is exciting and makes us hungry. So keep the purpose in mind. Even when going in for concept walls, choose the wall colour to be maximum two shades darker than the base tone. It is not only vastu compliant, but also more aesthetic.
Our house is our refuge, our haven, it should be a place where you should want to calm your senses, hence dark colours are best avoided inside.
Vastu insists on spaces that are square or rectangular in shape because it signifies shelter, stability and safety. Hence rooms that are square or rectangular in design are the most preferable. Anyway, those circular rooms are a waste of space. With so many practical solutions, we will agree that vastu is a well thought about doctrine, isn’t it?
Any water body inside the house should be placed in the Northeast direction, it can include a swimming pool, an aquarium, water tank or any other water body. Moreover when water drainage is concerned it should also drain out to the Northeast direction.
You might not want to have the hassle of maintaining an aquarium or a waterfall. All you can do is place a beautiful earthen bowl with some water in the Northeastern corner. Go ahead add some flower petals or floating candles in it.
The concept of space and the element of air in the house is a very important aspect in vastu shastra. According to it there should be provision for some empty space in the middle of the house from where light enters the house. This central space should remain clutter-free and empty.
Also airflow inside the house should be from the Northeast direction; to facilitate it Vastu shastra also indicates the placements and height of doors, windows and balconies.
Now answering your million-dollar question, is all of it possibly incorporated in every apartment constructed today?
Well, if you are constructing your independent house, then most of it can be applied. But in an urban dwelling, it is technically not possible to have all the elements incorporated. For instance, an apartment cannot have the central square open, nor can all be unblocked in the North. However, even if 50% of these are incorporated, then you can be assured of your and your family’s well being.
In the present day, the number of Vaastu experts in our country is second only to the number of cricket experts and just like the latter, they have strongly differing opinions on what rules and principles one must follow to ensure Vaastu Shastra compliance.
Given this information overload, what rules you should follow and what rules you can choose to discard are entirely at your discretion.
We wanted to make your life simpler and therefore, we have put together a list of five things that are an Absolute Must when you’re looking for a house.
It is recommended that one performs a Bhumi Pooja (worshipping the earth) before starting the house construction. This is considered an auspicious beginning and heralds a good start to the proceedings.
East is the most auspicious direction for the entrance of a home. This is because the sun rises in the east and is said to bring in positive energy and light into the household. The other acceptable direction that the house entrance can face is towards the North East.
The South-East corner of the house is the most ideal one for the kitchen’s location and cooking supposedly should be done while facing the East. However, please bear in mind that the kitchen should not be located directly in front of the main door of the house.
The Master Bedroom should be located at the South West corner of an East-facing home. From our perspective, if you follow (2) and (3), you will ensure that you can sleep soundly without having to let the aroma or the noise accompanying the cooking to wake you up. Square and rectangular shaped bedrooms are recommended, so that you can leave the avant-garde construction to the other sections of the house.
The toilet location is another vital aspect, both from the perspective of Vaastu as well as from a general health and aesthetics angle. Toilets are to be located in the North-West corner of the building or the North-West corner of the rooms. If this is not possible, South East toilets are allowed. It is also recommended (and sensible, in our opinion, we might add), that the toilets, kitchen and Pooja room in the house should not be adjacent to each other.
There are numerous other terms and conditions that one must apply to get the perfect Vaastu compliance in the house. But we’re afraid that giving you all the information necessary and having you find a home that meets the parameters perfectly might add a couple of extra years to your house purchasing process.