रूपमण्डन एवं देवमूर्त्ति-प्रकरणम् (मण्डन सूत्रधार - प्राचीन मूर्तिकला एवं देव-प्रतिमा लक्षण सटीक)

[ 28 ] the Vāstu-prakaraṇa i. e., the section on Architecture. In one of these chapters, accounts are given of the eighteen Vāstu- śāstropadeśakas, ancient masters of architecture. One chapter is devoted to columns, two to buildings, one to building-materials. Three chapters are exclusively devoted to sculpture—one being on Tālamāna, iconometry and two others on the Phallus. 7. The Liṅga-purāṇa has a single chapter on sacrificial pits, temples and the installation of deities. 8. The Vāyu-purāṇa has a single chapter about building temples on mountains. 9. The Skanda-purāṇa has three chapters on Vāstu and Śilpa. One chapter describes how for his daughter's marriage Himālaya had a pavillion constructed by Viśvakarman under the instruction of his Purohita Gargācārya and how clever portraits or life-like representations of all gods were made therein, and they struck even the gods themselves with awe and wonder. Another chapter describes the laying out by Viśvakarman himself, of a large city Mahīnagara. From another chapter, we come to know how a golden hall was made by Padmanidhi, at the command of Indradyumna, how Viśvakarman made three chariots at the command of Nārada and how their installation ceremony was performed by this ṛṣi. For informations regarding Vāstu, Śilpa and Citra — the most important Paurāṇik sources are the Agni, the Matsya and the Viṣṇudharmottaram. "The Matsya or Matsya-Purāṇa⁸⁰ . . . is one of the older works of the Purāṇa literature, or at least one of those which have preserved most of the ancient text, and do fair justice to the definition of a 'Purāṇa.' It commences with the story of the great flood out of which Viṣṇu, in the form of a fish (Matsya) saves only Manu. While the ship in which Manu is sailing 80. The Matsya-Purāṇa is published in Ānandāśram Sanskrit Series No. 54 and transl. into Engl., in SBH. (Pāṇini office, Allahabad) Vol. 17. See M. Winternitz : A Hist. of Ind. Lit. Vol. I, pp. 575-76.