1

The Sinhala Mayimataya

A Translation by Bonnie G. MacDougall

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Figure 41. Standing Buddha, Gal Viharaya, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

12th century.

© 2008 Bonnie MacDougall, all rights reserved.

This document is part of the Cornell University eCommons MacDougall South Asian
Architecture Collection, online at http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/handle/1813/1460.

This document is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/1813/10765.

A scanned version of the original text is also available: http://hdl.handle.net/1813/8361.

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THE SINHALA MAYIMATAYA1

1. I worship thee with love O munindu (The Sage, an appellation of the

Buddha). You, like a sun (divasuru) transcended the dark side of this life
(bawa duka), spread your six rays over this world (sawana sataraes paeturu),
and flooded it with your glorious light.2

2. I worship the teachings (dahama) of the Buddha which are like the
moon (nisayuru) whose light makes the konda (Nymphaea esculenta) flowers
bloom.3 Like moonbeams coming from behind a cloud, his teachings break
through the darkness of wrong views (misadiTu).

3. With everlasting devotion, I worship the maha sanga (the holy order of
Buddhist monks) which, like Mount Meru, gave lustre to the four continents.4

1
The translations which appear in the text are based primarily on Carter (1965). For Sanskrit
borrowings, I have consulted Monier-Williams (1899). Some botanical information has been
taken from Lewis (1902), as noted. As for the transliteration here, I have identified the Sinhala
letters with their nearest Romanized equivalents. The sequence ae is intended to represent
the vowel sound in English cat. Lower case t and d transliterate dental consonants; upper
case T and D, retroflex ones.
2
It is said that the Buddha emanated glorious rays of six colors. According to Buddhist
legends, whenever the Buddha preached, he dispersed the darkness of a thousand worlds
(sakwala) with his rays.
3
The konda is a species of jasmine that blooms by moonlight.
4
In Buddhism, the world has Mount Meru at its center. Meru is said to be more than two
million miles high, one half of which is below the Earth. On its top is the heaven of the gods
and at its base the abode of the anti-gods, the Asuras. Meru lies in the center of a chakkawala
(sakwala), which is the complete set or system of worlds including the Earth. The entire
system is girded by a rock wall (sakwalagala). Between the rock wall and the seven ranges
of mountains that surround Mount Meru lie the four continents; the inhabitants of which
have faces of the same shape as the continent to which they belong. They are (1) purvvidehe,
the eastern continent shaped like a half moon and 7,000 yojanas in extent, (2) aparagoyane,
the western continent, shaped like a round mirror and 7,000 yojanas in extent, (3) jambudvipa,
India within the Ganges where Buddha founded Buddhism, triangular in shape and 10,000
yojanas in extent, and, (4) uturukurudivayina, the northern continent shaped like a square seat
and 8,000 yojanas in extent (cf. Hardy, passim).
3
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It is bathed by an ocean (sayura) of loving kindness (met) and steady in the

storm of wrong views (kudivu).

4. In devotion, I have thrice invoked the Eminent Sage, His teachings and
His holy order. May we all be filled with loving kindness. Herewith are verses
I composed according to my own humble understanding.

5. May the following deities always protect us: the god Kataragama or
Skanda, that six-faced lord who was the son of Siva; the serpent king Ananta5
who graces the Earth; Venus, Mars and Siva, the three-eyed one; Moon who is
cooling (sisara kara) and Visnu (narayana).

6. Mindful of the words of the Sage, I venerate the Four Sublime States of
Consciousness (satara man nandana),6 the Four Requisites (satara pasa),7 and
His blessed goodness.

7. I venerate the Four Sublime States of Consciousness. Herein I present

you with four-line poems I got from the ancient sages. Know about sites and
build houses for all four of the castes.

8. There are months, days, sites, directions, and asterisms that are suitable
for the pursuit of housebuilding by discerning builders.

9. How can one who does not know Sanskrit understand the convoluted
meanings in the high flown verses composed by the ancient sages?

10. The language is illustrious, but no one can traverse this thicket. If we
had the insight of our own language (siya basa), we too could dwell in the
forest of poetry.

5
The great serpent on whom Visnu is often depicted asleep. Ananta means endless or infinite.
At the end of each cosmic age when the universe is destroyed, only Ananta remains (cf.
Stutley and Stutley, 12).
6
In Buddhism, loving kindness (metta), boundless compassion (karuna), joy (mudita), and
equanimity (upekka).
7
The four requisites for monks are food, robes, lodging, and medicine, all to be obtained
through austerities.
 5

11. Verses composed in our own language would be useful since everyone
who knew Sinhala could read the verses.

l2. In this book there is incomparably valuable instruction for skillful

housebuilding that anyone can see in our own language for the welfare of
mankind.

13. If you want to be showered with blessings (savsiri), then learn what has
been said by our learned forebears (peruduru) and seek beneficial moments
and lunar mansions for breaking ground for houses and wells.

14. I shall now tell what I have seen written in the Mayamata about proper
housebuilding and suitable pieces of land, orientations, months (for
construction), and methods of felling timber.

15. When the sun is in Pisces, do not build houses. What kinds of
misfortune (dos) will ensue? Expect disease, crippling, and illness.

16. As for the month in which the sun enters Sagittarius, thieves will
plunder the property and impoverish the owners.

17. When you go to prepare the house site or to cut down the timber, the
following are evil omens:

18. Persons carrying swords (kaDu), knives (kaeti), spades (udalu),

firewood (mala danDu), wood eaten by vermin (siduru liya), and persons
wearing ropes round their necks or those who come with their hands on their
shoulders.8

19. Beware of persons carrying grass or those who curse you with profane
language. If you see them as you go along, it is an evil omen. Do not build
the house.

8
All represent death. Firewood is used for funeral pyres, ‘hands on the shoulders’ suggests
the funeral wailing position, for example.
 6

20. Carpenters who cut the first post (magul kapa) for the house should
proceed in this manner and then go to the foot of tree and clean up the area
around the base.

21. Draw the Diagram of Eight (aTa magula) and place pots at the four
corners. Offer flowers and sprinkle sandalwood milk (haendun kiri paen) over
the area.

22. Go back on the following day and say, “Will the deity who is living in
this tree leave it for the benefit of this house?”9

23. When you have petitioned the deity in this manner, cut off a branch
from the tree, pull it along the ground and place it under a second tree.

24. Now, clean and sweep the base of the second tree and scatter flowers,
betel leaves, and sandalwood over the area. Then say, “O deity, dwell in this
tree and be good enough to give me your own.”

25. So, you invoke the deity in this manner and cut down the tree of your
choosing. Now, how should you take the tree and what kind of fellow should
cut it down?

26. His skin should be clear, fair, and smooth. He should be neither lanky
nor squat, and the hair flowing from his head should remind you of the tail of
a peacock.

27. This work should be undertaken by persons who are straight and erect,
who have whiskers on both sides of their cheeks and hair on their chests.

9
Buddhist beliefs about tree spirits are detailed sensitively by Coomaraswamy with
examples from the Buddhist Jataka tales (122-123). In art, according to Coomaraswamy,
“often a face is drawn amidst the branches to suggest rather than to show the indwelling
deva, whose life is, in a strange way, the tree’s life, or bound up with it, yet is not the tree
itself. At other times, the tree deva is represented as dwelling in a mansion . . . which is not
ordinarily visible to human beings . . .`the invisible house’” (122).
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28. Now for how this tree is to be felled by such a good specimen. Suppose
the trunk is covered with vines and suppose it is bent at the top.

29. If a tree is like that, even if it is adorned with flowers and leaves, and
even if you can cut off all the bad parts, it is still not suitable, not even if it is a
good Jak (Artocarpus integrifolia).10

30. A tree that is thick near the base is called a female tree by the sages. A
tree that is thick in the midsection of the trunk is called neuter.

31. A tree whose trunk is of a single dimension from bottom to top is a

male tree.11

32. A tree that is thick at the top and the abode of a wicked and destructive
she-demon (yakiniya) should not be used for the auspicious post.

33. Timber taken from a tree whose trunk is like a long drum (bera) is
suitable for the auspicious post.

34. If you use wormy wood (=with holes) for the auspicious post, the
occupants will suffer from misery, sorrow, and fear. It will bring harm
(awaeDa) and more to the house.

35. (Uses a different word for ‘thick’, but otherwise the same as 32.)

36. Our learned forebears have told us that if wood eaten by worms is used
for the auspicious post, the owner of the house will suffer from stomach
ailments (udara roga).

10
A tree cultivated widely in gardens. Said to be one of the few trees in Sri Lanka in which
“no part is lost, or need be” (Lewis, 237). Used as a timber tree in housebuilding. The fruits
and seeds are eaten. A dye is made from the wood for coloring the robes of Buddhist priests.
Tamil: pilar.
11
According to the Tamil texts ascribed to Maya, male trees are good for pillars, female trees
for wall plates, beams and capitals and hermaphrodite (=neuter) trees for cross joists, joists
and rafters (Kearns, 233).
 8

37. If too thin a tree is used for the auspicious post, the women of the house
will have to work in everlasting servitude.

38. The mi tree (Bassia longifolia)12 is suitable for the auspicious posts for
the following types of structures: Buddhist monasteries, shrines, and the
palaces of reigning kings. Those who do good carpentry know it.

39. There are dangers associated with the direction in which the tree for the
auspicious post is felled. A good builder must know the portents so he can
decide whether to fell it in one direction or another.

40. If the tree falls to the east, the owner will become very wise. If it falls to
the south, he will live a long time, and if it falls to the west, he will be moody
(sitivili kara).

41. If the tree falls to the north, whether Venus is risen or set, illness and
death will plague the house. Lives will be lost and swept away.

42. After you cut the auspicious post, this is how you take the measure of
the carpenter’s cubit (waDu riyana). Starting from the right hand side,
measure off one cubit (riyana), one span, (viyata) and four fingers. This is how
you measure it.

43. Now, using the carpenter’s cubit, measure off a length of five cubits
and a breadth of three. If the length of the house is to be six and a half cubits,
then make the breadth three and a half.13

12
A large deciduous tree prized for a medicinal oil made from the seeds. The wood of the tree
is hard and unusually heavy. Tamil: iluppai (Lewis, 191).
13
According to Pillai, Hindu artisans applied formulas to derive length and breadth from
the perimeter. From the Silpa Vignana Samgraha and Manushalaya Chandrika, two treatises from
the Malabar coast, he reports the following derivational formula: “Take half the perimeter,
divide it by any number from 8-32 inclusive, then take four parts of these for the breadth,
and the remainder for length” (70). Thus, the divisors yield proportions of 1:1 (if the divisor
is 8) up to 1:7 (if the divisor is 32). Although all divisors are theoretically in the field, some
(11, 15, 19, 23, and 27) are excluded as inappropriate. The numbers 8, 9, and 10 are said to
be appropriate for temples, shrines, audience halls and pleasure halls and the others for
general purposes” (72). There is also a formula to derive the perimeter from the length.
 9

44. For a house that is seven cubits long, measure off a breadth of four
cubits. For a house that is nine cubits long, take a breadth of five cubits. If
you take measurements like this, good fortune will come to the house.

45. For a house with a length of ten and a half cubits, take a breadth of six
and a half. For a length of eleven cubits, take one of seven and a half.

46. If the length is too great, the wife of the house will die. If the house is
too wide, then the husband. If the house has proper proportions, its occupants
will be prosperous and happy. So do not make the dimensions too long or too
short.

47. The way in which you set the auspicious post will determine how the
people in the house fare ever after. So pay attention to digging the hole.

48. Keep an eye on the places where the man who digs the hole scratches.
If he scratches his hands, it foretells death for the owner and his family.

49. If he scratches his head, it foretells death for the owner. If he scratches
his back, the house will be plundered by thieves and kings.

50. If he scratches his stomach when he sits down to dig the hole, the
women of the house will be happy.

51. So, now you know how to dig the hole and set the auspicious post.
You should make offerings of sandalwood, boiled rice, flowers, lamps, and a
young coconut.

52. Arrange these offerings near the auspicious post and then put a
monetary offering (panDuru) in the hole.

53. If this is placed before the feet of the Site Spirit, it is inauspicious for the
house and all the wealth in it will be dissipated.14

14
In the Sinhala text, this being is referred to as vasu devi.
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54. If it is done on the mouth15 or the navel,16 the occupants will live for a
hundred years with all kinds of good fortune.

55. Since the words of our learned forebears uttered for the benefit of
mankind are eternal, do not make trouble for yourself. Construct houses in
this manner.

56. In the three months in which the sun is in the houses of Aries, Taurus,
and Gemini, the Earth Serpent (bumanaga) lies with its tail in the west, its head
in the east, its back to the north, and its belly to the south.17

57. In the three months in which the sun is in the houses of Cancer, Leo,
and Virgo, the tail is in the north, the head in the south, the back is in the east,
and the belly in the west. This is how it lies during these three months.18

58. In the three months in which the sun is in Libra, Scorpio, and
Sagittarius, the tail is to the east, the head to the west, the back to the south,
and the belly to the north. This is how the serpent lies during these three
months.

59. In the three months in which the sun is in Capricorn, Aquarius, and
Pisces, the tail is to the south, the head to the north, the back to the east, and
the belly to the west. This is how the serpent spends the twelve months.

60. So when you place the auspicious post consider the direction in which
the royal serpent lies and the trouble it can cause. When you have oriented
the house site to the cardinal points, make offerings (balipuda) at the eight
directions that are occupied by demons

15
The northeast, or according to Dagens (1985), the east, generally auspicious directions.
16
The center of the site, an area associated with Brahma, the Creator. In an 81 square building
site, the inner nine squares are assigned to Brahma, and in a 64 square site, the inner four.
17
The template for the 27 (sometimes 28 to include an addition made later of Abhijit, the
twenty second) lunar asterisms in the heavens is a segmented snake called the Bhumanaga.
He is also described as encircling the house site. In a ground plan of 64 squares, 28 are in the
outer rim.
18
The image here is of a being lying on his side across the bowl of the sky and rotating as if
on a pivot. Appuhamy (1937) says he is lying on his left side as does Bose (1932).
 11

61. Take the following: ghee, milk rice (kiri bat), sugar cane jaggery (uk
sakuru), Idda flowers (idda mal, Wrightia zeylanica), oil lamps, sandalwood,
red Ixora flowers (rat mal, Ixora coccinea), betel, and camphor. Make offerings
at the cardinal points inside the foundation line.

62. Learn about the demons who are the masters of each direction and
make the prescribed offerings for each one. If you get the help of a good
carpenter, you can avoid misfortunes associated with the directions in this
way.

63. A cruel demon lives in the east. He stays there for an hour and the goes
to another place. If he sees a house there, he will destroy it. Now pray to the
southeast too.

64. When you look at the southeast, you will see a demon standing there
with a flaming torch in his hand. It is said that he will burn a house down.
Leave that direction and go to the south.

65. The demon in the south has a club in his hand. He stays there for a
while and brings bad luck. A site in the southern direction is not good. Now,
look at the site in the southwest.

66. Manimekala who protects the sea, will demolish your house there with
her weapon. So how can you construct a house in the southwest? So go look
for another direction.

67. So go to the west and examine another house site. Alas, a demon is
there. He eats human bones in the evening.

68. Go to the northwest and look at another site. You will see a cobra who
lives in an anthill. If you build a house there, you will not be able to drive him
away.

69. Leave that spot and go to the north to examine a place for the building.
If you build a house there, it will burn down. So leave the spot in the north.
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70. So leave the north and go to the northeast. When you look for a site
there, you will find a black demon with long arms who shoots poisoned
arrows.

71. So the experienced housebuilder knows that from the east, right round
to the northeast, there are cruel demons in every direction. So my friend, tell
me if you can show me a better site.

72. When you erect the auspicious post, this is what you have to do to get
rid of the demons. Appease them by giving them offerings (dola) of rice and
curries (batut malu) on the house site at dusk.

73. They say that the lord of the east is the serpent king Ananta. You can
ward off evil from the east by offering him sandalwood and milk rice.

74. My friend, the lord of the southeast is a cobra named Basuki. You can
get rid of the evil from this direction by serving up three plates of offerings
together with coconut water (kasa paen).

75. A cobra named Ahiraja is the lord of the south. Spare yourself troubles
from the south and give him an offering of fried rice in sour gruel.

76. Two cobras named Arohana and Karkota are the lords of the
southwest. This is what you should prepare for them:

77. Cook rice with meat to give it a red color, place it in a black pot
(koraha) and cover it. Then, someone with five auspicious marks should face
this direction and make the offering.

78. A cobra named Paduma is the lord of the west. Call the cobra by name
and make an offering in a white pot.

79. The cobra king Patma is the lord of the northwest. Its offering is fried
grain. Mix it with breast milk and honey.
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80. My friend, a cobra named Sanka is the lord of the north. The offering
for him is rice mixed with ghee. Light lamps and make the offering in a hole
in a tree.

81. A cobra king called Gulika is the lord of the northeast. His offering is
gruel prepared from amu sal (a grain, paspalum scrobiculatum). Mix it with a
cup of gingelly oil.

82. You should know the sites which are suitable for the ruling caste,
Brahmins, traders, and Sudras, i.e., for the four castes. Now I shall describe
the characteristics so that you may know them. Build the houses accordingly.

83. Now you ask about the characteristic marks of the sites such as those
for the gods. The Lord of the Earth rules from a place with with red and white
temples (sudu ratu devolin).19 That place is suitable only for places of worship
for Lord Buddha.

84. Now you ask me about the characteristics for sites for the Brahmins. A
site that is good for village temples and for Brahmins has arrow grass (itana,
Andropogon contortus) growing on it.

85. If the ground slopes to the west and if kalanduru grass (Cyperus
rotundus) grows there, then the site is suitable for the Sudra caste.

86. A site shaped like an elephant with the ichneumon plant growing on it
and covered with thick vegetation from one end to the other is suitable for
rulers.

87. You can recognize the musical (gandarva) site, because a paddy field
weed called pig grass (urutana, Oryza fufipogon or Oryza derennis moench)
grows there. It is suitable for those of low caste.

19
Possibly an allusion to the red and white vertical stripes found on the walls of Hindu
sacred precincts.
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88. The house post placed in the southeast is called king (bupati). The one
in the southwest is called commander-in-chief (senadipati). The one in the
northwest is ascetic (tapas). The one in the northeast is woman (gaeni).

89. The four posts of four colors to be placed at the four minor directions
should be placed at exactly the same time. If they are placed under two or
three Zodiac signs destruction results. So says the Mayamata.

90. Divide the carpenter’s cubit (waDu riyana) into four equal parts. Each
of them is called a foot (padaya). Take eight feet for the height of the door and
four and a half for the width.

91. Do not take soil from the east for the house. If you do, termites will
build their nests there. If you use soil from the south, you will lose your
livestock.

92. Do not take soil from the west for the house. If you do, the owner of
the house will fall sick. Do not use soil brought from the northwest. If you do,
the children will die.

93. My friend, if soil is brought from the north for the house, the owner
will suffer mental anguish. If soil is brought from the northeast, the occupants
will be blessed with long life and prosperity.

94. When you site the well, examine all eight directions. Do not put a well
in the southeast. If you do, there will be fever.

95. If you dig a well in the northwest, there will be children but also
arguments. If the well is dug in the southwest, after children are born, fire will
destroy the house.

96. Do not dig a well in the west, because it will only bring on misfortune.
If you dig the well in the northeast, the house will be blessed.

97. The four months April-May (bak) May-June (vesak), January-February

(durutu), and August-September (nikini) are good for building a house and
 15

the occupants will be blessed with happiness. As for days, choose a Sunday,
Monday, Thursday, or Friday. The following are auspicious lunar asterisms
(naekat): Hasta,20 the thirteenth, Chitra,21 the fourteenth, Svati, the fifteenth,22
Satabhishak, the twenty-fourth,23 Revati, the twenty-seventh,24 and Rohini, the
fourth.25

98. Build houses under the asterisms of Sravana, the twenty-third,26 Svati,
the fifteenth, Anuradha, the seventeenth,27 Mrigasiras, the fifth,28 and within
the houses of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Pisces, and Leo. Build on
days such as the second, tenth, and the seventh in the lunar cycle.

99. Never have doubts about building a house in the south or the west.
These verses are composed according to the Mayamata, so do not be skeptical.

100. Take paddy from the hand of a virgin, have pregnant woman pound
and cook it, invite Buddhist priests, then take your possessions into the house
at an auspicious time.

101. After you move into the house, to build a cattle shed or barn, start it
under auspicious asterisms, astrological houses and days.

102. Svati, the fifteenth asterism, Uttaraphalguni, the twelfth,29 the two
houses Taurus, and Leo and the two days Thursday and Friday are lucky for
cattle sheds.

20
The names of the asterisms here and throughout this translation are given in Sanskrit. The
Sinhala terms appear in the footnotes. Hasta (hata) is in the shape of a hand and contains five
stars.
21
The constellation Chitra (sita) is shaped like a pearl and contains one star.
22
Svati (sa) is the star Arcturus contained in the shape of a sword.
23
Satabhisak (siyaswasa) contains 110 stars and is in the shape of a gem.
24
Revati (revati) contains 27 stars and is in the shape of a drum.
25
Rohini (rehena) contains four stars at the corners of a carriage.
26
Sravana (suvana) contains three stars representing three feet.
27
Anuradha (anura) is the equivalent of the constellation Libra. It contains four stars arranged
within a triangle.
28
Mrigasiras (muwahis) contains two stars representing a goat.
29
Uttaraphalguni (turapal) contains two stars in the shape of a bed.
 16

103. These ideas are those of the sage who wrote the Mayamata. Another
sage says that these things are lies. He says if you use Thursday,
Uttaraphalguni and Taurus to build a cattle shed, thieves will steal the cows.

104. The north is good for stables. It is also suitable for dunghills. Use the
northeast for cattle and buffalo sheds. Build the kitchen in the southwest.

105. A temple for the gods (devale) is good in the west, as is the
coppersmith’s workshop. The shrine (kovila) for the god Siva (baraDi) is good
in the north. The one for Ganesh should go in the northeast.

106. Now as for the directions suitable for the houses of workers, for the
blacksmith’s forge, ironworkers, copper and goldsmiths, these are the suitable
ones.

107. Build the houses for wedding ceremonies (manamala gewal) in the
east.30 For the blacksmiths, the southeast is good. Build the house for the
goldsmith in the south. Build the house for the tom-tom beater in the south.

108. Northeast is good for the washermen. The east is good for the potters.
The flower supplier’s house should be in the north. So says the Mayamata of
the sages.

109. Build a Buddhist vihara in the north. Northeast is good for a temple
(kovila). Now the following is what the sages have had to say about ordinary
houses.

110. From the inside of the fence around the house, measure off a space
sixty cubits long and wide. From the house measure it in four directions.

111. From east to west measure off sixty cubits with a string. From north to
south do the same.

30
Some Tamil texts say that the east is the proper conjugal abode of the householder (Kearns,
232). Thus, one interpretation of this passage might be that that bedroom should be in the
east.
 17

112. From southeast to northwest fix a string on the diagonal, and another
from southwest to northeast.31

113. If the sheds for cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep, the well or the temples
are along these axes, it is inauspicious according to the Mayamata.

114. Children and livestock will die. There will be disease and fear. This is
the misfortune that will come your way. Believe in the words of the sages.

115. If you build a city, it will be exceedingly prosperous and famous if you
follow these instructions. If you do not, misfortune will come to the king and
the city.

116. If the line to the south (from the north) falls on wells and cattle sheds,
that city will be destroyed. So say the ancient sages.

117. If it is the line draw in the south, someone will certainly die in six
months. If it is the one in the west, the mother of the house will die.

118. If the line runs inside, the cattle will die. If the line falls on the ditch,
you will die. If the line falls in the northeast, the cattle will die. So says the
Mayamata.

119. The builder who constructs houses in this way will be reborn as a king.
Artisans who make images in the same way will be reborn as nobles.

120. Even though those skillful and clever housebuilders who have become
my friends may die, they will be reborn as royalty and nobles. So say the
ancient sages.

121. Some housebuilders do not do their work in the proper way. They
take money from work that was done wrongly to support their own families
while the occupants of the house go through hard times.

31
These refer to diagonal lines drawn across the site .
 18

122. When these builders die, they will fall into hell and suffer. So says the
Mayamata. O housebuilders, what do you think of this?

123. Some people who claim to be artisans make images of Lord Buddha
without knowing the proper proportions. They will be reborn dumb and
blind.

124. Builders and artists who take money for work without knowing the
proportions, grab it and run home.

125. Even if they have a good income, there will be nothing to eat in their
houses and nothing to wear. These woes arise from their spiritual nature (at
baev).

126. These people will die and go to hell. They will suffer there till the end of
the world. When they arise from hell, they will be ugly as sin and penniless
too.

127. If such a builder is reborn as a man, he will be born poor. Bad artists
will have crossed eyes (aes dekama mula). What will they be good for then,
pray tell?

128. The good builder who knows carpentry will be reborn as a king with
bounties aplenty. Good artists will likewise become nobles.

129. Our learned forebears have told us that builders and artists who cheat
others and take their money will turn out to be poor.

130. Do not be skeptical of the words of the ancient sages found in the
Mayamata. O builders and artists, work in good faith and study the
Mayamata.

131. So the Sanskrit verses have told us of the trouble that can arise in this
life and lives that will follow. The way in which the work is done can make the
builder and artist suffer right here on earth.
 19

132. O learned and skillful builder, build a Buddhist temple (buddale) or a

temple for the gods (devale) in May-June (vesak). Do it as Visvakarma would have.

133. In the same way artist, make images of gods or of the Buddha in
January-February (durutu). Do it with devotion.

134. Make houses for those of the warrior caste (kaet kulaya) in March-April
(maedin), for the Brahmins (bamunu kula) in April May (bak) and for the
merchants in May-June (vesak).

135. June-July (poson) is the month for building houses the castes which are
not as high as these three. So said our learned forebears.

136. In the opinion of another sage, the images of gods and the Buddha
should be made in December-January (unduwap) or January-February
(durutu). The teachings of the Mayamata are different.

137. The days from the eighth after the new moon till the seventh after the
full moon are good for the construction of balconies. So says the Mayamata.

138. The days from the eighth day of the waning moon till the seventh day
of the waxing moon belong to the dark half (fortnight) of the lunar cycle.

139. Start putting clay on the walls of the house under the twenty-fifth
asterism, Purvabhadra.32 If you do so the house will be blessed and free of
woes.

140. Thatch the roof of an image house for a deity or Lord Buddha before
noon. It is inauspicious to do it after the sun has passed its zenith. Know this
and act accordingly.

141. Thatch the roof under the following asterisms: Hasta, the thirteenth,
Magha, the tenth33 and Anuradha, the seventeenth. Take the five additional

32
Purvabhadra (puvapuTupe) contains two stars in the shape of a bed.
33
Magha (ma) contains five stars and is the shape of a gem.
 20

ones up to and including Dhanistha, the twenty-fourth34 and Uttaraphalguni.

Add Rohini, the fourth and take these ten asterisms for digging wells.

142. According to the sages, if the well is four cubits away from the house,
the earth will yield gems. If the ground is dug at a distance of twelve cubits,
the owner will lose his cattle.

143. If the distance is sixty-nine cubits, or thirteen, fifteen, twenty-nine,

twenty-two or forty-two, there will be good times and bad.

144. Whoever drinks from a well dug four cubits away from the house will
die. If at a distance, of five, eleven or twenty cubits, ones own wife will die. If
at a distance of forty-three or forty-eight cubits, the owner will die. If at a
distance of twelve or forty-six cubits, the sons will die.

145. You will obtain good results with distances of seven, thirteen, fifteen,
twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty seven or forty cubits. Measure the distance
and dig the well.

146. If the owner of the house suffers from poor health, dig out a pit one
cubit deep under his bed. This may have been a place where meat was cut in
the past. If you remove the earth, you can get rid of the malevolent influences.

147. If the beasts of burden are given to dying, measure off an area two
paces long in the southwest, make the width the same, then dig a pit that is
one cubit and four inches deep.

148. Why should you dig a pit like this in the house? The sages tell us that
this was a place a thunderbolt struck a menstrual house and killed a woman.
So remove that polluted earth.

149. If there is a house in which there is incessant quarreling, dig a pit in the
northwest corner with the same dimensions given above and remove the
polluted earth to stop the trouble.
34
In a scheme of 27 asterisms, this is the twenty-third. In one of twenty-eight, the twenty-
fourth. Dhanistha contains four stars and is the shape of a drum.
 21

150. If the quarreling keeps up, dig another pit in the center of the house
and remove the earth. This should put an end to any evil influence still in the
house. Now I’ll let you know what the problem is.

151. It seems there were two leopards struck and killed here by a bolt from
the heavens while they were in the act, so to speak.

152. The following are the calculations for the house which has dimensions
of five cubits. The income (aya) is eight.35 The expenditure (waeya) is five. The
asterism is the first Phalguni. The origin (yoni) is that of the lion.36 The regent
(himiya) is Jupiter. Such are the calculations for the house of five cubits.

153. These are the calculations for the house of nine cubits. The income is
twelve. The expenditure is five. The origin is that of the cobra. The asterism is
Aslesha, the ninth.37 The angle (ansaka) is Venus in Cancer.

154. Now you ask about the dimensions of the house of five cubits. The
income is eight and the expenditure is five. The origin is that of the lion. The
asterism is Magha, the tenth. The angle is that of the bird Garuda (the vehicle
of Visnu).

155. As for the house of eleven cubits, both the income and the expenditure
are five. The origin is that of the cobra. The regent is Jupiter. The asterism is
Pushya, the eighth.38 According to the angle, the house is Taurus.

156. For the house of thirteen cubits, the income is four. The expenditure is
five. The origin is either that of the cobra or that of the lion. The asterism is
Punarvasu,39 the seventh, in Cancer. The angle is that of Mercury.

35
These verses and the ones that follow refer to the six (sometimes seven or more) formulas
that are applied to dimensions in order to determine whether they are conforming/
auspicious or not.
36
The yonis are the hawk Garuda (associated with the east), the lion (south), the serpent
(west), the elephant (north), the cat (southeast), the dog (southwest), the rat (northwest) and
the rabbit (northeast).
37
Aslesha (allisa) contains five stars in the shape of a house.
38
Pushya (puse) contains three stars in the shape of an arrow.
39
Punarvasu (punavasaya) contains four stars in the shape of a house.
 22

157. For the house of fifteen cubits, the income is twelve. The expenditure is
five. The origin is that of the goat. The asterism is that of Ardhra, the sixth.40
The house is Pisces. The angle is Mars.

158. For the house of seventeen cubits, the income is eight. The expenditure
is five. The origin is that of the bird Garuda. The asterism is Bharani, the
second.41 The moment (vara mohota) is that of Venus.

159. For the house of nineteen cubits, the income is seven. The expenditure
is five. The asterism is Bharani, the second, in the angle of Aries. The origin is
that of the bird Garuda. The regent is Mercury. The moment is called gaeba.
So say the ancient sages.

160. For the house of twenty-one cubits, the income is twelve. The
expenditure is five. The asterism is Krittika, the third.42 The origin is that of
the lion. The house is Taurus. The moment is of Jupiter. According to the
angle, it is neuter. So say the sages.

161. For the house of twenty-three cubits, the income is eight. The
expenditure is five. The origin is that of the bird Garuda. The asterism is
Bharani, the second. The moment and the angle belong to Venus. Now in the
following verse, hear the characteristics of the house of twenty-five cubits.

162. The income is seven. The expenditure is five. The origin is that of the
cobra. According to the angle the house in is Cancer and the regent is Mars.
The asterism is Aslesha, the ninth. For the house of twenty-seven cubits, the
income is twelve. The expenditure is five. The origin is that of the cobra. The
asterism is Revati, the twenty-seventh.

163. For that house, the house is in Pisces. It is ruled by the regent the Sun.
The moment is within Venus.

40
Ardhra (adaya) is star shaped and contains one star.
41
Bharani (berana) contains three stars in the shape of a pudendum.
42
Krittika (kaetirika) is the Pleiades.
 23

164. As for days, take a Sunday, Thursday or Friday. Among houses, Leo
and Aquarius are the best. Know Pisces and Virgo as moderate ones.
Understand these things when you build a house.

165. Compare the asterism under which you plan to build with that of its
owner. If it is compatible, use it. Otherwise, give it up.

166. If the income (aya) is reduced or the expenditure (waeya) is increased

the house will be unlucky. So even if the asterism is suitable, the results will
bad.

167. If you choose any of the three ecliptic asterisms (gahana naekat),43 or the
four on either hand, the house will not prosper at all. If you take the four on
the two feet, all will be well. The four on the left side will bring poverty.44

168. Riches come from the four asterisms on the right. The five on the back
do the same. The three of the tail bring death to the owner. Take the asterism
in which the sun is located as the starting point and count.

169. For the first entering of a house, the following are the good asterisms:
Dhanistha, the twenty-third, Satabhisak, the twenty-fourth, Chitra, the
fourteenth, Punarvasu, the seventh, Magha, the tenth, Sravana, the twenty-
second, Asvini,45 the first and Pushya, the eighth.

170. Of the houses, Taurus, Aquarius, Capricorn, Gemini, Virgo and Libra
are good, and among the days, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and
Fridays. Enter using one of these houses and one of these days.

171. If the floor bar of the door is two cubits and three inches, and the top
bar of the door is two cubits minus three inches, the income and expenditure
are both five. If the door fits these specifications, there will be no misfortune
caused by dimensions.

43
gahana naekat could also mean the ‘asterisms on the nose’.
44
This verse refers to the placement of the asterisms in the body of the Bhumanaga.
45
Asvini contains three stars in the shape of a horse.
 24

172. Illness will befall the house that is built in March-April (maedin). The
house built in June-July (poson) will burn. The one built in September-October
(binara) will be plagued by poverty. Thieves and enemies will set upon the one
built in December-January (unduwap).

173. These four are bad months. Do not be disobedient and start building
houses then. Do not move into a house at this time. Avoid all work on the
four corners.

174. The asterisms from Magha, the tenth up to Sravana the twenty-second
are inauspicious (palinga) except for the east and north. Those from
Dhanistha, the twenty-third, up to Asvini, the first, are inauspicious except for
the west and south.

175. Identify the inauspicious asterisms for all the work you do on the
house. Reject the inauspicious ones for all construction work. If you go ahead
anyway, bad luck will come to the house, and the owner will perish.

176. As for the prospects for a house built in July-August (aesala), it will
change hands after three years, three months and three days. So says the
Mayamata.

177. As for the house which is built in October-November (wap), it will be

inhabited for five years, five months and five days. As for the house built in
January-February (durutu), after seven days and seven months are out, the
house will remain in the same hands for seven years.

178. Beginning from the sun, take the first asterism as the one on the
mouth. Know that the thirteenth and the fourth will destroy the house. The
four in the feet bring long life. If one of the four in the stomach is used,
poverty will result.

179. The four asterisms on the right side make you poor. The asterisms on
the back make you rich. The three in the tail will cause three deaths. The
wheel of the Earth Serpent should be counted from the starting point.
 25

180. The auspicious post should be fixed in the ascendancy (hora) of the
moon. The wattle should be woven in the ascendancy of Mercury. The roof
should be thatched in the ascendancy of Venus. The clay should be spread in
the ascendancy of the sun.

181. Move into the house in the ascendancy of Jupiter. The ten great
misfortunes can be avoided by choosing an auspicious moment. If you select
asterisms according to these directions, prosperity will come to the owner.

182. The three asterisms called uturu, i.e., Uttaraphalguni, the twelfth,
Uttarashadha, the twenty-first,46 and Uttarabhadra, the twenty-fifth,47 as well
as Revati, the twenty-seventh, Mrigasiras, the fifth, Hasta, the thirteenth,
Magha, the tenth, Rohini, the fourth, Purvaphalguni, the eleventh, Anuradha,
the seventeenth, Jyestha, the eighteenth,48 and Mula, the nineteenth,49 are the
twelve asterisms that are suitable for the first entering of the house.

183. Start work on the fence and drains on a Tuesday under the asterism
Purvashadha, the twentieth.50 So say the ancient sages. If you understand
this and act accordingly, you will be blessed.

184. These are the good and bad consequences of starting work on houses,
fences and drains in the months of June-July (poson), September-October
(binara), December-January (unduwap), and March-April (maedin).

185. The house built in June-July will burn. September-October brings

poverty. Thieves plunder the house built in December-January. Illness comes
to the one built in March-April.

186. East and south are inauspicious directions from Dhanistha, the twenty-
second up to Asvini, the first. So says a Sanskrit sloka. I have put it into a
Sinhala kavi to make it easy for you.

46
Uttarashadha contains two stars in the shape of a couch.
47
Uttarabhadra contains two stars in the shape of conjoined twins.
48
Jyestha (deTa) contains three stars in the shape of a ring.
49
Mula contains eleven stars in the shape of a lion’s tail.
50
Purvashadha contains two stars and is in the shape of an elephant’s tooth.
 26

187. It is better to avoid inauspicious conditions for breaking ground and

fixing the first post. You will prosper if you select auspicious ones.

188. If the house is begun in Cancer, it will last three years, three months
and three days. If in Libra, it will last five years, five months and five days.

189. If the house is built under Capricorn, after seven months and seven
days have passed, it will not change hands for seven years. So say the slokas
in the Mayamata. Should you doubt the words of the sages?

190. The astrologer should determine the conditions for a house entering
ceremony in this manner: Mercury, Jupiter and Venus should be in the first
house, the sun and Saturn should be in the eighth house, and the eighth house
should not contain any maleficent planets.

191. As for the construction of moats, ramparts and reservoirs, use

Purvashadha, the twenty-fifth asterism, Virgo and Tuesday. These
prescriptions are suitable for houses, wells and cattle sheds too. Believe in
them, bless the owners and do some good in this world.

192. Now I shall tell you in Sinhala what the ancient sages had to say about
the seven lines (sira) and house sites. I shall discuss them separately. Read on
and see how I have put it into verse.

193. One (of the lines) is called girakulaya and another is called walamkaya.
Mahat duwa is the name of one more, and mahat siraya still another.

194. The other names of the lines are kappa siraya, manda siraya and uwa
siraya. These are the seven lines.51

195. Know the evils of the seven lines and avoid them. You should do this
for the benefit of towns as well as for houses occupied by all castes.

51
The term sira means line and generally refers to the orthagonal lines drawn on the Site Spirit
square. The names of the lines in these verses refer to something else, possibly to the Seven
Sages, the Big Dipper.
 27

196. These are the characteristics of the site known as aiytana. It is equal in
length and breadth. That is how you recognize such a site.52

197. If you see a site that is oriented to the four directions, know that site by
the name sataraes (four sided).53

198. The site called tunraes (three sided) is in the shape of a triangle. That is
how you recognize the tunraes site.

199. What kinds of traits has parnika54 land? It is round like a threshing
floor (kalaviTa). Discerning people recognize it in this way.

200. When you see a plot of land that is oval, it is the ayitana-parnika type.
If you build a house, you most certainly cannot do it without knowing these
signs.

201. Now look at the traits of the site called ivan.55 It looks like a mountain
water course. This is how you will recognize the site called ivan.

202. Now consider the good qualities and the bad ones of the various sites,
and you will learn which ones have auspicious qualities and which
inauspicious ones.

203. If you build the house on the ayitana site, you will be prosperous. If on
a sataraes site, blessed with offspring. The same can be said of the parnika site.
If you build on ayitana-parnika, you will be prosperous and happy.

52
In authoritative texts, this name applies to a rectangular site (Appuhamy, 127).
53
In authoritative texts, the ‘four sided’ site is square (Appuhamy, 127).
54
This word from verses 199 and 200 appears also as paratika, paranika and parkana in various
printed editions of the text. The shapes of the letters ka, ta, and na are similar in Sinhala, and
one guesses that one or more of the letters may have been obliterated in the original
manuscript. None of the alternants is entered in Carter 1965. The word for this type of site
that appears in Sanskrit sources is vrtta (Appuhamy, 127).
55
In the various printed versions of the Mayimataya, this type of site appears variously as ivan,
ivat and ivak.
 28

204. The house built on a site called ivan will be terrorized by kings. The
other consequence is destruction by fire. So look into the portents and build
houses on suitable pieces of land.

205. If you do not remove the stones and roots from the ayitana site, I kid
you not, someone will die in five years. If you do not remove the stones and
roots from the sataraes site, someone will die in forty-seven years.

206. If you do not remove the stones and roots from the butterfly
(samanala)56 site, the owner will either die or go mad in ten years, and the
house will go to ruin.

207. If you do not remove the stones and roots from a parnika site, the house
will be plundered by thieves and enemies. They will rob the house and make
you poor. So says a verse in the Mayamata.

208. If you do not remove the stones and roots from the site called ivan, and
go ahead and build a house without heeding the Mayamata, someone will up
and die in a year.

209. It is said that stones and roots should be removed. Which stones and
roots they are, I do not know. From here on I will reveal these things in verse,
and present them as eloquently as I can through the power of poetry.

210. Stones and roots should be removed from the soil down to a depth of
one carpenter’s cubit and one inch. If you clear the site in this manner,
happiness and blessings will follow.

211. The word stone here means stones, pebbles and broken earthen
utensils, and the word root means the roots of poisonous and evil trees, woods
and such.

212. If you build without removing them, life will be hard, and it will be
bleak. The occupants will be troubled by illness and suffering, and hardship
will lead to the city of death.
56
This could be a misprint for samatala (flat).
 29

213. If the house is oriented to the east, the husband will be rich and
famous. If it faces north, wealthy and serene.

214. If a house is built on a site sloping to the south, there will be poverty
unabated by the passage of time. Illness and suffering will afflict the house
built on a site to the northeast.

215. There is a site called nanda (joyous), one called bhaddra (prosperous),
one called jaya (victorious) and one called rikta (empty). Together with the
one called purna (full), they make five.57

216. We divide each one of these five into three parts so that we have fifteen
in all. So, with the example of the five divisions of nanda in mind, divide up
the house site into feet.

217. The Vedas tell us that the first, sixth and eleventh feet belong to the
nanda titi, and that the second, seventh and twelfth belong to the bhaddra titi.

218. The sages say that the second,58 eighth and thirteenth feet are the jaya
titi. The fourth, ninth and fourteenth are the province of the rikta titi.

219. The three that belong to the purna titi are the fifth, tenth and the
fifteenth. So by dividing every one by three, you get fifteen. This is how you
divide and get the fifteen titis.

220. If the site falls into the nanda titi, the owner will be depressed. If the
house is sited on the bhaddra titi, the owner will be happy and free from cares.

57
This section pertains to the titi (tithi) test on the area of the site. The formula given in the
Vastu Vidya is area x 8 ÷ 15. The remainder yields the titi. According to the Sinhala Mayimataya,
remainders of 4, 9 and 14 fall into the rikta titi and are especially inauspicious. Remainders
of 1,6, and 11 fall into the nanda titi and also yield undesirable results. The Tamil Sri Lalitha
Navarathnam Manaiadi Sastiram gives a different formula for testing the area: area x 4÷ 30, but
generally agrees on the inauspicious remainders. Remainders of 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13 and 15
are said to be the best. 1, 4, 6, 8, and 11 are said to be not bad. 9 and 14 are said to be
inauspicious.
58
This seems to be a misprint for ‘third’.
 30

221. If it falls into the jaya titi, things will be peaceful and the occupants will
be rich and have many children just like Bandula.59 Thieves and enemies will
threaten the house under the rikta titi.

222. If you build a house in the area called purna titi, you will become rich
and famous. As the days pass, life will become fuller and fuller, just like the
waxing moon.

223. The ancient sages have told us about these divisions and the
characteristics of each site. I have composed verses to tell you in the Sinhala
language what I have seen in the Sanskrit verses.

224. If you build a house where arrowgrass (itana, Andropogon contortus)

grows, there will be no drawbacks and everyone will be happy. The owner
will enjoy a life of 120 years, and after death, he will be reborn.

225. If you build a house on a site where kalanduru grass (Cyperus

rotundus) grows, there will be cattle aplenty. If you build a house on land
where iluk grass (imperata arundinacea) grows, expect illness, poverty and
misery.

226. If you build a house on a site where the soil is mixed with iron and
stones, the result is death for the owner according to the sages. These are the
words of the seers who wrote the Mayamata. Look at the verses for these
eternal truths.

227. On the site called lily-shaped (uppala kara), there is danger from wild
animals. The sages have also told us about a site that is shaped like a lotus
leaf. So, you can identify the site called lotus-shaped (pokuru kara) from its
form.

59
According to Buddhist legend, the powerful warrior Bandula was the commander of the
forces of the king of Kosala. He and his wife, a devout Buddhist as strong as five elephants,
were blessed with two sons in each of sixteen successive years for a total of thirty-two
(Hardy, 282-283)
 31

228. There are seven other such sites including the one called bull-shaped
(nanda kara), elephant-shaped (gaja kara), pot-shaped (kumba kara), scale-
shaped (tula kara), lotus flower-shaped (patma kara), wheel-shaped (cakra
kara), and hoof-shaped (gokura kara).

229. This is what the builder should know who builds a house on lion-
shaped (sinha kara) land. It will yield children, fame and happiness. These are
the qualities of lion-shaped land.

230. If you build a house on elephant-shaped land, you will have virtuous
sons and daughters and other good luck. Such are the qualities of elephant-
shaped land.

231. As for the qualities of the site which is called bull-shaped (vrasaba kara),
the owner will have a wonderful life and cattle aplenty.

232. If you see a site that looks like the face of a demon, you can expect
steady income. Such are the qualities of demon-shaped (rakusu kara) land.

233. If you build the house on high land shaped like the back of a tortoise,
you will suffer from illness, death and terror, these three. Put your trust in
what the sages have said. Even though this site may otherwise seem to be
lucky, reject it.

234. If you build a house on a piece of land that looks like a winnowing
basket that slopes low on one side, the house will be terrorized by thieves.

235. If you see a site that is round and reminds you of a jug, that site is
known as jug-shaped (kumba kara). Do not choose this site. It will only bring
on misfortune.

236. White soil and yellow soil are good for Brahmins and Buddhist monks.
A site with red soil and brown soil is suitable for reigning kings.
 32

237. If the soil is golden or tawny (kimbulan paTa=alligator colored), it is

suitable for traders. If it is blue (nilwan) or black it is good for the workers
and the lower castes.

238. If the soil is blue colored (samawan), there will be happiness. Former
enemies will be friends. This site is suitable for everyone in the whole world.

239. Suppose a site has lumpy soil resembling the fruit of the yellow
myrobalan (aralu, Terminalia chebula).60 It will be blessed by kings and
protected from enemies. If you build a house there, the occupants will be very
happy.

240. What happens if you build a house on a site where the soil is the color
of gold and plumbago? Coins of gold, silver, copper and iron will come your
way. So says the sage of the Mayamata.

241. If there are no stones on the site you choose for the house, you will have
cattle and good health. A site with these qualities is good for everyone. These
then, are the characteristics of such a site.

242. If a site has black soil mixed with soil the color of blood, the occupants
will suffer from disease. So say the sages.

243. If the soil on the site is wet, and there has been no rain to explain it, that
site is not suitable. If you build a house on the site, there will be illness year in
year out.

244. If you build a house where the soil is mixed with flint, the occupants
will suffer because they have no money. The house will be plundered by
thieves and beset by disease.

60
The fruits are pendulous like olives with hard stones. They are used in ink manufacture,
tanning, and medicine (Lewis, 172).
 33

245. If you take a site where the soil has white stones and gravel, the parents
will die after children are born. I am writing this here, because there are some
contradictory Sanskrit verses.

246. Gardens will wither on sites where the stones are neither very big nor
very small. There are no other drawbacks described for such sites.

247. Suppose there are ditches all over the house site. Such a site is unlucky.
The Mayamata reports that the site is inauspicious. Know the consequences of
choosing this site and abandon it.

248. Let’s say you see a site with a rise in the south and a slope to the east
whose soil is not mixed with water. Suppose it has round stones and grasses
called itana (Andropogon contortus), wammutu (Cyperus rotundus), baelatana
(=dog grass, elusine indica) and karuwatana. That site is called musical
(gandharva).

249. One sage says that certain sites are suitable for low caste groups, and
the Mayamata says that these lands are not suitable. So I got the help of an
astrologer to write the following verses.

250. Suppose you see a site with a rise in the south, and with a slope to the
north which is weighted in the west and northwest. The site is one on which
storks build their nests and which smells like milk. There build a palace for a
king.

251. If a site slopes to the north and has soil that smells like pipe clay
(makulu),61 then it is suitable for Brahmins. Follow the teachings of the
Mayamata, and relish your work.

252. If the site slopes to the southwest than it is good for the Oli caste62 and
the Berawa.63 This was said in good faith in the Sanskrit verse. Now I have
put it in a kavi and said it in Elu.

61
Or perhaps, monkeys.
62
A Sinhala caste. Drummers and dancers.
63
Also a Sinhala caste. Tom-tom beaters.
 34

253. Suppose a site slopes to the east and northeast and then widens to the
southwest, forming a triangle. It has golden soil mixed with gravel. That site
is good for merchants.

254. Suppose a site slopes to the east, the northeastern portion is the highest,
and the broad southern portion has golden soil. That site is good for the
Goyigama (handuru) caste.

255. Suppose a site slopes to the southeast and has black soil which is mixed
in places with gravel. That site is good for barbers (karanaebi). So goes a verse
in the Mayamata.

256. When you build a house on any site, first remove the trees and
creepers. The trees and creepers that are mentioned in the following verses
should be taken away from the house site so that the results will be good.

257. They are the kinihiri (Cochlospermum gossypium), the tamarind

(siyembala, Tamarindus indicus),64 margosa (kosamba, Azadirachta indica),65
jamala (kolon, Garcinia xanthrochymus), haedawaka (Chaetocarpus
castanocarpus),66 kihiri (Acacia sundra), satinwood (buruta, Chloroxylon
swietenia),67 ironwood (na, Mesua ferria),68 andara (Dichrostachys cinerea),69

64
The wood is used for furniture. The dried seeds are made into a laxative medicine. Tamil:
puli. (Lewis, 162-3).
65
A cabinet or panel wood. The products of the tree are widely used in Sinhalese and Tamil
medicine. The tree is best known for its foul smelling oil (called veppeni in Tamil) used
medicinally and as an insecticide. Tamil: vempu (Lewis, 140).
66
A building timber (Lewis, 230).
67
A valuable timber used to build the old one arch bridge at Peradeniya. Tamil: mutirai (Lewis,
142).
68
A favorite tree for flowers offered at Buddhist shrines which is often found near temples.
The flowers have large, white petals and a sweet smell. The seeds produce an oil used in the
treatment of diseases of the skin. The wood is one of the hardest and most durable. Tamil:
nakka (Lewis, 111-112).
69
A small thorny hardwood. Most notable for its beautiful pale pink or yellow flowers
resembling Japanese lanterns. Tamil: vidattal (Lewis, 165).
 35

peepul (bo, Ficus religiosa),70 and nitol trees. Dig up the ground and excise
their roots.

258. After you cut the trees, fill up the holes with soil brought from
elsewhere and level the site. After you finish, wait for one year and then build
the house.

259. Take note of the following trees: karanda (Pongamia glabra), wood apple
(beli, Feronia elephantum or Aegle marmelos),71 midi (Premna serratifolia),72
mahari (Albizzia lebbek or Adenathera paronia), palol (Stereospermum
suaveolens), kumbuk (Terminalia glabra),73 dimbul (Ficus glomerata), kiriwalla
(Holarrehena mitis),74 bamboo, yellow myrobalan (aralu, Terminalia chebula),
hog plum (sarana, Spondias magnifera), aetteriya (Murraya exotica), piya
(Sarcocephalus cordatus), kelinda (Wrightia zelanica) and soapberry (penala,
Sapindus emarginatus).75

260. If these are on the house site when you start uprooting the trees, dig up
the soil and put in soil from elsewhere. Wait until six months are out, and then
build the house.

70
The tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, specimens of which grow in
every temple compound and are venerated. The tree at Anuradhapura, said to have sprung
from a branch of the original from India, is believed to be 2,000 years old.
71
Aegle marmelos is a small cultivated tree whose large, smooth fruits and root bark are used
in medicine as a remedy for dysentery. This tree is often confused with feronia elephantum, also
known as jivul (Tamil: vilatti). The latter grows wild and has a large, round gray fruit with
a hard shell of which elephants are said to be particularly fond (Lewis, 134-135). Ganesh,
the elephant-headed god, is said to relish the wood apple.
72
A small, shrubby tree with yellow-green flowers and small fruits. The wood is used for
paneling and the root in medicine for colic. Tamil: erumaimulli (Lewis 209-210).
73
An immense, water loving tree commonly found along river banks. Tamil: marutu (Lewis,
173-174).
74
A small, elegant and uncommon tree of no great economic importance. Its small, white
flowers have a sweet smell. The wood is used for ornamental work, and the bark in medicine
to treat fever and dysentery (Lewis, 203).
75
A large tree with greenish-white flowers with a durable wood used for cart frames. An
oil derived from the seeds is made into a soap, and the bark of the root is used in medicine.
Tamil: panalai (Lewis, 148).
 36

261. He who builds his house in the middle of the village, will become the
leader of his people, and he will also become very rich. People who do not put
their faith in this have not seen the verses in the Mayamata.

262. If a house is built on a site that is lush with vegetation, the occupants
will be loved by all of mankind. These people will want for nothing.

263. The verses in the Mayamata say that death will come to a house built
on land where arrowgrass grows. Verily, these are the words of the ancient
sages.

264. Wherever you see a site on which the trees, creepers, stones and flowers
are the same color as the soil, the clay called navanila can be found under the
ground.

265. Wherever there is a site like this, that place pleases everyone like the
sweet taste of mangos. What better choice than to build a house here. For
rulers, nay everyone, it is most beneficial.

266. On such a site, the following trees and plants that grow around the
house and inside the garden are said to be very juicy: jak (kos, Artocarpus
integrefolia), coconut, mango, pear (damba, Eugenia jambos), plantain (ramba,
Musa paradisiaca), mandarin orange (jamanaran, Citrus nobilis), and
sugarcane.

267. If you build a house on a site with the following trees: demaTa (Gmelina
asiatica),76 andara (Dichrostachys cinera), tulip tree (suriya, Thespesia
populnea),77 and kaeTakaala (Bridelia retusa),78 cattle will thrive. You need not
fear demons on such a site.

76
A bush with large bright yellow flowers cultivated for its medicinal roots and bark. Tamil:
kumil (Lewis, 211).
77
A small hardwood known for its beautiful yellow flowers. Tamil: puvaravu (Lewis, 126).
78
A small tree suitable for housebuilding whose hard wood is said to resist termites (Lewis,
224).
 37

268. If you get rid of the following trees, you can put misery to flight: silk
cotton (imbul, Eriodendron anfractuosum), may (mara, Albizzia lebbek or
Adenanthera paronia), orange, puvangu (Myristica horsfieldia), wood apple
(beli, Feronia elephantum or Aegle marmelos), aesaTu (Ficus tsiela), erahaenda
(Cassia fistula), and mango. Verily, these are the sayings of our learned
forebears.

269. If you build a house on a site where there are anthills, if the house is
oriented to the east, southwest, northwest or northeast, it will be a fortunate
place. So says the Mayamata.

270. The teaching of another sage contradicts the one given above. He says
that sites with anthills are inauspicious, and specifically that the wife will be
barren. So says a verse in the Mayamata.

271. So since various opinions appear in the Sanskrit, and we do not

whether we should reject this site or not, avoid sites with anthills and choose
others instead.

272. Suppose there is a mound in the center of the site, and you have to cut
off the top of the mound and bring soil from elsewhere in order to level it. Do
not build a house here. This site is unrewarding and will bring you misfortune
aplenty.

273. As for a site that sinks into a depression (mala), remove the soil from
the high side and level it with soil brought from the northeast. If you do it,
blessings will multiply there.

274. If you build a house with stones that have been broken up and
discarded, you will lose everything of value. If you build with new stones,
you will enjoy happiness, prosperity and peace of mind.

275. If you build on a site where the anthills have been cut out, the wife of
the house will up and die. So avoid sites like this.
 38

276. Now as for building a house on a graveyard site, because of the bones,
it is only suitable for the lowest caste. So do not build houses in graveyards.
So said the sages of the Mayamata.

277. If arrowgrass, the dan bush (Eugenia corymbosa), the satinwood tree
(burata, Chloroxylon swietenia), and the undupiyali plant (Desmondium or
Hedysarum spp.) grow on the site, the house will be blessed.

278. This house will bring the owner gold, silver, cattle, buffaloes, a wife and
children, servants and land. He will enjoy good health. So build houses on
such sites according to the words of the Mayamata.

279. Those who live in houses on sites where there are bo trees and mara
trees and the grass called saevaendara (Andropogon squarrosus) will live long. If
there are a lot of jak or orange trees, there will be conflict.

280. A site that has iluk (Imperata arundinacea) and arrowgrass and slopes to
the southeast is good for copper and goldsmiths. So say the verses in the
Mayamata.

281. So, there are lucky and unlucky sites for houses and temples. Whether
high-born or low-born, everyone can build suitably.

282. This day is in the year one thousand seven hundred and fifty-nine
(1837 A.D.). The sun is in Libra, and it is the full moon day.

283. So, in this year did I take this Sanskrit book of old. I wrote 283 verses,
and now I have finished this book. Amen.