of appearance and its movement; the earth is beheld itself under the perfection of the heavenly world and, knowing this perfection, is drawn as a square.11
The square shape of the Vedic altar used in Hindu rituals serves to sanctify the grounds on which the altar is constructed and to sanctify the altar itself. The Vedic altar is also constructed from earth, which is baked into bricks. In the baking process, the earth and its transformation into bricks are purified by fire. Therefore, the bricks that make the altar reinforce all the symbolism of the sacrificial fire that is ultimately ignited on the Vedic altar. The altar was the first step in the evolution of the temple. And every temple built according to the vastu guidelines also uses the square vastu purusha mandala to create a dwelling worthy of the gods.
Figure 4
Vedic Altar
The Human Form
Vedic sages appreciated the orderly balance that exists in the ideal human form. They recognized that the measurement of the arms of a human extended to the right and left of the body equal the measurement of a human from the soles of the feet to the top of the head. Therefore, the
11 Stella Kramrisch, Hindu Temple, Vol. 1 (New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1995).