• The building should be built leaving open space on all sides.

• More open space should be left in North side of the plot and less space in the South.

• Similarly more open space should be left in the Eastern than Western side of the plot.

• The building height should be more on the South and West.

• The height or level of the building should be less in North and East.

• On a multi-storeyed building, terrace should be left towards North or East, not towards South or West.

• Balconies should be towards East or North.

• More window openings should be towards East and North.

• Thicker walls should be built on West and South side.

• Thinner walls should be built on East and North side.

• Doors and Openings should be more towards North and East side.

• The compound walls of South and West should be thicker and more in height than those of North and East.

• Gate should be on the North East direction, depending upon the road whether it is North or East.

• For South road facing house, the gate should be on South or South-East and not on the South West.

• For a West road facing house, the gate should be in West or North-West and not in South West.

• The South West room should be the master bedroom.

• South East room should be kitchen.

• North East room should be Pooja room.

• Bathroom is normally preferred in East, where it is not convenient, South East or North West may be recommended.

• The numbers of doors or windows should be even and not odd.

• Verandah should be designed in East or North.

• The level of Verandah roof should be less than the normal roof level.

• Portico should be designed in North East, or East or North.

• Roof level of the portico should be equal or less than Verandah.

• Staircase should be in South West because of its height and weight.

• Overhead tank should be either in South or West. There is a difference of opinion to have it on South West, more weight of water is acceptable on South West but water in South West not advisable.

• Out-houses can be built in South East or North West but they should not touch North and East walls and the height of the rooms should be less than the main House.

• Car garages should be along with out-houses on the same principle but portico should be in North East.

• Septic Tanks in North West or South East are acceptable.

• Water Pumps : In the North East – that too below the ground level only. Water tank above the ground level in the North East is not correct.

• The modern – so-called – planning is more on easy-access conventional energy. The man-made artificial energies have inundated the space around, and the subtle feelings of natural (cosmic / telluric) energies are difficult to feel.

• I would like to quote some anecdotes from the time of my grandparents to illustrate the philosophy then :

• They never allowed using the hand pump / well drinking water for anything other than drinking / cooking purposes.

• The bathing of cattles, washing clothes, bi-cycles etc. were consigned to pond water washing.

• They used to say, "subsurface water is for internal use and surface water is for external use.

• Sometime in February / March, there used to be a festival to make small figures (sculpture type) from the pond’s clay. Now, I realized in retrospect that it was actually an yearly dredging exercise by all the women for water harvesting and changing of aquifers.

• Every village had at least 2-3 ponds depending upon the size and population of the village for water harvesting and charging of aquifers.

• The houses / havelis compounds of rich people, usually had water bodies / fountains with ducks and fish. A typical variety of fish ate mosquito larvae and the duck droppings were the food for fish. Such simple eco-balancing !

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