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Mayamatam मयमतम् - chapter-10B दुर्गाणि : FORTS - Printable Version

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Mayamatam मयमतम् - chapter-10B दुर्गाणि : FORTS - Manish Jain - 07-20-2021

Mayamatam मयमतम्
TREATISE OF HOUSING, ARCHITECTURE AND ICONOGRAPHY
by bruno dagens, Authentic book on ancient vastu sastra



[ दुर्गाणि ]

गिरिवनजल”पङ्केरिणदैवतमिश्राणि सप्त दुर्गाणि ॥ ३६ ॥ 
गिरिमध्यं गिरिपार्श्व गिरिशिखरं पार्वतं दुर्गम् । अजलं तरुवनगहनं वनदुर्गं तदुभयं तु मिश्रं स्यात् ॥ ३७ ॥
दैवं तु सहजदुर्गं पङ्क्युतं पङ्कदुर्गं स्यात् । नद्यब्धिपरिवृतं यज्जलदुर्ग निर्वनोदमिरिणं स्यात् ॥ ३८ ॥
अक्षयजलान्नशस्त्रं” ह्यतिविपुलोत्तुङ्गघनसालम् । सर्वं हि दुर्गजातं सप्राकारं त्वनेकमुखरक्षम् ॥ ३९ ॥ 
बहिरुदकरहितवनच्छन्नपथं दुष्प्रवेशं च । गोपुरमण्डपयुक्तं सोपानच्छन्नमच्छन्नम्¨ ॥ ४० ॥
द्विकवाटचतुष्परिघार्गल” हस्तोन्नतेन्द्रकीलयुतम् । सस्थूणमध्यमालयमिण्ठकसहितं सगूढसोपानम् ॥ ४१ ॥
द्वाराणि मण्डपसभाशालाकाराणि कार्याणि । द्वादश सालाकाराश्चतुरं” वृत्तं तदायतं च पुनः ॥ ४२ ॥
नन्द्यावर्त कौक्कुटमिभकुम्भं नागवृत्तं च  ।  मग्नचतुरं त्रिकोणमष्टाश्रं नेमिखण्डं च ॥ ४३ ॥
प्राकाराश्चेष्टकया द्वादशहस्तोच्छ्रिताहीनाः । उत्सेधार्धविशाला मूले भित्तिः ससञ्चारा ॥ ४४ ॥
 सालस्याभ्यन्तरतः पांसुचयोपर्यनेकयन्त्रयुतम् । परितः परिखोपेतं पांसुचये संहताट्टालम् ॥ ४५ ॥ 
परितः शिबिरोपेतं नानाजनवाससङ्कीर्णम्  ।  नृपभवनसमोपेतं हस्त्यश्वरथपदातिबहुमुख्यम् ॥ ४६॥ 
धान्यैस्तैलैः क्षारैः सलवणभैषज्यगन्धविषम् । लोहाङ्गारस्नायुविषाणवेण्विन्धनैर्युक्तम् ॥ ४७ ॥ 
तृणचर्मशाकयुक्तं सवल्कलं सारदारुयुतम् । दुर्गं दुर्गममुक्तं दुर्लङ्घ्यं दुरवगाहं च ॥ ४८ ॥ 
रक्षार्थं च जयार्थं ह्यरिभिरभेद्यं च दुर्गमिष्टं स्यात् । इन्द्रश्च वासुदेवो गुहो जयन्तश्च वैश्रवणः ॥ ४९ ॥ 
अश्विन्यौ श्रीमदिरे शिवश्च दुर्गा सरस्वती चेति । प्राकारान्तर्दिव्या दुर्गनिवेशे च विज्ञेयाः ॥ ५० ॥ 
एवं दुर्गविधानं सम्यक् प्रोक्तं पुरातनैर्मुनिभिः ।


Forts

There are seven types of fort: the mountain fort, the forest fort, the water fort, the mud fort, the desert fort, the natural fort and the mixed fort. The mountain fort is built amidst mountains or on the side of a mountain or at its summit. The forest fort is situated in a dry place, hidden in a forest. The mixed fort unites the characteristics of the two preceding ones. The natural fort has only natural defences, the mud fort has (ramparts) of mud. The water fort is in the middle of a river or is in the sea. The desert fort is (situated in a place) devoid of trees and of water.

A fort should contain inexhaustible quantities of water, of food and of weapons, the ramparts are to be very big, very high and extremely thick; it should be impregnable at all points by virtue of its surrounding walls and it is guarded on all sides. Beyond the ramparts is a path, hidden in a forest, which is not waterlogged and is difficult of access.

There are gates with stairways, some visible and others secret. Their doors have double leaves and are provided with four bars," with bolts and with a one cubit high clamp. (These gatehouses) are provided with a kind of bretesse" which rests in the centre on a pillar and access (to which) is by a secret stairway. These gateways have (a flat roof) like a pavilion, or (an hipped roof) like a hall, or (a wagon-roof) like a house main-building

The ramparts may be built according to one of twelve layouts square, circular, rectangular, elliptical," nandyavarta shaped or shaped like a cock or like the temporal bone of an elephant or like a coiled snake or square with curved sides, triangular, octagonal or semi-circular."

Brick ramparts are at least twelve cubits high and are twice as high as thick; the wall has a passable road at its base;" inside the ramparts are all kinds of war machines set up at elevated points. All around is a moat and on its earthen bank are towers connected (with the wall); and beyond, and all around this, is a camp. 

The fort is inhabited by people of diverse classes and contains the palace of the king. Present here are numerous elephants, horses, war chariots and foot-soldiers. It is abundantly provided with grain, oil and molasses, as with salt, medicaments, perfumes and poisons and with metals, charcoal, gut, ivory, bamboo and combustibles such as fodder and with leather, vegetables, barks and hard woods.

A fort must be inaccessible, proof against attack and impregnable; it is constructed for defence and victory and must be impenetrable by enemies.

Indra, Väsudeva, Guha, Jayanta, Vaisravana, Aśvin, Śrī and Madira, Siva, Durga and Sarasvati: these are the deities who are to be honoured within the walls and who should be borne in mind when a fort is built.