Devta Murti Prakaran

Author(s): Vinaysagar, Bhagvandas Jain, Rima Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharati Academy

Page 39

देवतामूर्ति-प्रकरणम्
1193. 11
- (Proportions of sculpture in relation to buildings) –
In a temple, or structure, measuring one ‘hasta' (a measure of length equal to 24 angulas, or about 18 inches), a standing idol should be 11 angulas in height*. An increase of 10 angulas in the idol's height should be made for every additional hasta upto a maximum of 4 hastas in measure. (12).
For structures measuring between 5 and 10 hastas, a further increase of 2 angulas per hasta should be made in the size of the image. In the case of lengths between 11 hastas and 50 hastas, the height of the standing statue increases by a corresponding 1 angula for each hasta. Thus, in a building of 50 hastas, the standing image should (according to the scale of calculation detailed above) be 93 angulas high.
Such a statue is classified as large. If the proportion of a statue is reduced by, a twentieth part it becomes a medium-scale image, and if by a tenth part a small-scale one.(13)
Thus the scale recommended for standing images inside a · temple can be summarized in the chart given along side as :
Traditional measures are as follows : - 1 hasta = 24 angulas (about 18 inches). 1 angula = a finger's breadth, equal to 8 barley-corns (yavas). 1 yava=a measure of length equal to 1/6th or 1/8th of an angula. 1 kara = 24 angushthas or thumbs; i.e. 24 angulas. 1 angushtha =a thumb's breadth, usually regarded as equal to angula. 12 angulas = 1 vitasti, or span 24 angulas = 1 hasta, or cubit. 1 vitasti = 12 angulas, being the distance between the extended thumb and little finger.
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