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260
A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
courtyard (maṇḍapa-sthāna or angaṇa) was a very ancient one1 and even Bhāsa designates the antaḥpura of the ladies as "the inner court with apartments on four sides (abhyantaracatuḥśālā )." According to Chakaldar, this plan combined the advantages of seclusion and privacy together with provisions for light and air. Tesala (trisala )* houses have also been mentioned which had apartments on three sides only.
The houses were built in a line (sahi) along the road-side.5 The word giha not only meant the inner-apartment (gihabhamtara) but could also mean the entire house. 6 The houses had two entrances (gihamuha). The inner courtyard around which rooms were built was called mandapaṭṭhāṇa or angaṇas and the passage for entrance in the front was called gihaduvāra. The houses were built with baked bricks, and strong walls were covered with windows and doors opened towards the front.1 The situation of the various architectural features like gihamuha, angaṇa, alinda, koṭṭhaga11 and gihaduvara etc. clearly shows that a regular pattern was followed for the construction of the houses.
1. See-Acharya, op. cit., p. 193; also Rangachari, K., "Town-planning and House-building in Ancient India according to Silpa Sastras," IHQ., Vol. 4, pp. 102-9.
2. Bhāsa, Carudatta (ed. by T. Ganapati Sāstri), Act. I; see also-Catukšāla in Bhasa's Avimāraka ( Trivendram Sanskrit Series), pp. 23, 42, 86, 3. Chakaldar, op. cit., p. 154.
4. NC. 2, p. 333; Brh. Vr. 2, p. 493 and 3, p. 742.
5. घरपंती साही भण्णति – NC. 2, p. 209.
6. घरस्स अंतो गिहब्भंतरं गि
NC. 2, p. 224.
भण्णति । गिहगहणेण वा सव्वं चैव घरं घेप्पति
7. Ibid.
8. गिहस्स अग्गतो अब्भावगासं मंडवधाणं अंगणं भण्णति — Ibid.
9. अग्गदारं पवेसितं तं गिहदुवार भण्णति —— Ibid.
10. पक्कट्टगादि घणकुड्डा सकवाडा महंत पुरोहडा यNC. 2, p. 439. 11. Kotthaga is explained as alinda which was situated at the frontal
entrance.-NC. 2, p. 224; Brh. Vr. 3, p. 742 and 4, p. 975. The word alinda is taken to denote the lattice-covered path beyond the wall of
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