'' Manushyalaya Chandrika '' is a sixteenth century CE treatise in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

dealing with domestic architecture. The work is authored by Thirumangalath Neelakanthan Musath and is a summarization of the basic principles of domestic architecture then widely followed in that region of India now known as Kerala State. The popularity of the text as a basic reference of traditional Kerala architecture has continued even to modern times. From the references to the deities in temples at Triprangode, Trikkandiyur, Alathiyur, etc. in the opening invocation of the treatise it can be safely surmised that the author of the work should have been a native of some place close to these temples. Nothing much is known about the life of the author other than that he has also authored a work on elephantology titled ''Mathangaleela''. Two versions of the work are in circulation. In one version published by Kochi Bhashaparishkarana Committee in 1928, the book contains 170 ''sloka''s and is not divided into chapters. In the version given as an appendix to a thesis submitted to Mahatma Gandhi University in 1998, the work is presented as divided into seven chapters and has a total of 246 ''sloka''s. (Thesis submitted for the award of PhD degree.) In the introduction to the first version the commentator has alluded to such a version as has been published with a commentary by Paloli Choi Vaidyar in the Malyayalam year 1080.

Outline of the contents

The topics discussed in the text include the following: *Matters to be considered while selecting a plot where the house is to be constructed *Methods for the determination of the cardinal directions *Different units of measurements *Rules for computations of the dimensions of the house to be constructed *Descriptions of different types of houses (''chathussala''s) *Practical instructions for making

rafters A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as Beam (structure), wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof Roof shingle, shingles ...

and other materials

Translations

# (Text in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

script and commentary in Malayalam language) #The complete text of ''Manushaylaya Chandrika'' in Devanagari script together with an English translation is available as part of a PhD thesis titled "Indian mathematics related to architecture and other areas with special reference to Kerala" submitted by P. Ramakrishnan to

Cochin University of Science and Technology Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is a state government-owned autonomous university in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1971 and has three campuses: two in Kochi (Kalamassery and Ernakulam) and one in Kuttanad, Alap ...

in 1998. The thesis can be accesse
here
#A translation of ''Manushyalaya Chandrika'' to

by Cheruvally Narayanan Namboothiri has been published by D. C. Books in 2011. #A translation of ''Manushyalaya Chandrika'' to

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

by Srikrishna Jugnu has been published b
Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

References

{{reflist Architecture in India Architectural treatises