The eight Vastu zones and the Brahmasthan
Every Vastu rule you will read about a kitchen, a bedroom or a staircase comes from one underlying map: the plot divided into nine parts, eight directional zones around an open centre. Learn the map once and you can place any room without looking up a rule for it.
The nine-square grid
Draw your plot as a rectangle. Divide it into a 3 × 3 grid. The eight outer cells are the directional zones, each with an element and a presiding deity. The middle cell is the Brahmasthan — the part that should stay as open and unloaded as you can manage.
On a square plot the grid is exact. On a rectangle it stretches, which is fine. On an irregular plot, fit the largest rectangle you can inside the boundary and read the zones off that.
What goes where
| Zone | Element / lord | Put here | Keep out of here |
|---|---|---|---|
| North-East (Ishanya) | Water · Ishana | Pooja room, sump, entrance, living | Toilet, kitchen, staircase, storeroom |
| East | Sun · Indra | Main entrance, living, bathroom (not WC) | Heavy storage, tall compound wall |
| South-East (Agni) | Fire · Agni | Kitchen, boiler, electrical panel | Pooja room, master bedroom, water tank |
| South | Yama | Bedroom, store, staircase | Main entrance in the south-south-west part |
| South-West (Nairutya) | Earth · Nairuti | Master bedroom, heavy storage, overhead tank | Toilet, underground water, entrance, open space |
| West | Varuna | Dining, kids room, staircase, study | Nothing prohibited — keep it moderately loaded |
| North-West (Vayavya) | Air · Vayu | Guest room, toilet, utility, store | Master bedroom, kitchen, pooja |
| North (Kubera) | Wealth · Kubera | Living, entrance, cash locker facing north | Toilet, heavy walls, clutter |
| Centre (Brahmasthan) | Brahma | Courtyard, dining, open double height | Toilet, staircase, pillar, heavy beam |
The Brahmasthan
The centre ninth of the plan carries more weight in Vastu than any single room rule. It should not have a toilet, a staircase, a heavy column or a septic tank in it. Traditionally it was an open courtyard; in a modern plan the usual solutions are a dining space, a double-height void over the living room, or a small light well.
The practical version of this rule: do not put your service core in the middle of the house. Circulation and services belong on the edges, daylight belongs in the middle. That is good planning advice with or without Vastu.
Weight, light and slope
- Heavier towards the south and west — thicker walls, storage, staircase, tank.
- Lighter and more open towards the north and east — bigger windows, lower parapet, garden.
- Ground and terrace should slope towards the north-east so water runs that way.
- Floor level: the north-east can be the lowest point, the south-west the highest.
Check your own plan against this
Open the plan editor, set your plot size and the facing, and the Vastu checker marks each zone on the sheet — green where the room matches the convention, amber where it is borderline, red where it is wrong — with the reason written out next to it. Move the wall, and the check updates as you drag.
A note on how to use this
Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of directional planning, not a building code. Plenty of its rules line up neatly with good tropical design — a south-east kitchen gets morning sun and keeps afternoon heat away from the living room, a north-east opening brings in soft light, heavy mass on the south-west shades the house through the hottest hours. Others are purely traditional.
Treat the checker in the editor the same way a structural engineer treats a rule of thumb: it tells you what the convention says, quickly, so you can decide what to follow and what to trade away. It will never stop you drawing the plan you want.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Brahmasthan in Vastu?
The Brahmasthan is the central zone of a plot or building — the middle cell of the nine-square Vastu grid. It is treated as the energetic core of the house and should be kept open and free of toilets, staircases, heavy columns and storage.
What should be in the centre of a house as per Vastu?
Ideally nothing structural: an open courtyard, a double-height void, a dining space or a light well. Never a toilet, a staircase, a lift shaft or a septic tank.
Which direction is best for a house entrance?
North, north-east and east are the strongest, followed by the correct padas within the west and south walls. The position inside the wall matters as much as the wall you choose.