वास्तु मण्डन (मण्डन सूत्रधार - गृह, राजप्रासाद, दुर्ग एवं नगर-वास्तु सटीक)

Chapter III [Durgādilakṣaṇam] Now the characteristics of the forts are being described.

1. A king, whether he is powerful or weak , should construct a fort for the protection of his subjects and by this act he will attain great merit.
2. If a king builds the fort, he attains equal merit as is achieved by one who constructs water-reservoirs, temples, pleasure-gardens, holy spots bestows wealth and performs various Vratas .
3. Even after demolishing other residences, a fort¹ should be built high and strong, and after that all the people should be accommo- dated in that fort, otherwise there will be loss of wealth and life.
4. A lion is the strongest of all animals when he lives in his own mountain cave; likewise one can win over one's notorious en- emies easily (if he resides in a well constructed fort).
5. Thousands of elephants and Lakhs of horses cannot perform for a King what a fort alone can fulfill.
6. An archer standing on a rampart of a fort can fight with hundreds of people, so the experts in political science eulogize the utility of the fort.
7. The rampart (of a fort) should be huge, lofty and sturdy; it should be built of stone or pure bricks, so that it cannot be easily accessible by others .
8. The ramparts should be adorned with Koṣṭha, and on the four sides of the ramparts four chambers are to be constructed; therein idols of Vidyādharīs should be installed. Outside the cham- bers, Bāhikās ornamented with Kapiśīrṣas are to be built.
9. Koṣṭhas of the Vidyādharas will be 10, 12, or 14 hands in measure-ment. In between there will be Bāhikā which is thrice in height than the Koṣṭhaka.
10. After Chittor, Kumbhalgarh is the most famous fortress of Mewar. It is nearly inaccessible even today and can be approached only by a Jeepable road. It was built by Maharana Kumbha in 1448 on a rock plateau which was the site of an earlier ancient fortress.