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Vastu Directions and the 16 Zones Explained, With How to Draw Them on Your Plan
The eight Vastu directions with their degrees, guardians and elements, the 16-zone wheel many practitioners use, the Brahmasthan, and how to draw the zones on any plan, including an L-shaped one.
Published on 10/16/202610 min read
Vastu divides a plan into eight directions around a centre, the Brahmasthan. Each direction covers 45°, centred on its compass point, so North-East runs from 22.5° to 67.5°. Many practitioners split the circle into 16 zones of 22.5°, a practitioner system rather than one from the classical texts. To draw either, find the centre of the plan, draw true north through it and rule the boundaries out from the centre.
About the rules below: Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of design, and its texts and practitioners do not all agree. We say what comes from a classical text (in the translation we read) and what is modern practice. There is no scientific evidence that a direction, element or zone changes health, wealth or luck; people follow these as tradition. The geometry and building rules are sourced. The plans are illustrative.
New to Vastu? Start with our practical guide to Vastu for a new home.
The eight directions, with their degrees and guardians
Bearings are measured clockwise from true north, from the centre of the plan. For the eight guardians of the directions, Stella Kramrisch, in her study The Hindu Temple, gives the list from the Amarakosha, starting from the east: Indra, Agni, Yama, Nirriti, Varuna, Marut, Kubera and Ishana (vol. 1, p. 91).
| Direction | Bearing range | Guardian | Element in common practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| North (Kubera / Uttara) | 337.5° to 22.5° | Kubera; Soma in the Vastu texts | not consistently assigned |
| North-East (Ishanya) | 22.5° to 67.5° | Ishana; Agni in most earlier texts | Water |
| East (Indra / Purva) | 67.5° to 112.5° | Indra | not consistently assigned |
| South-East (Agneya) | 112.5° to 157.5° | Agni | Fire |
| South (Yama / Dakshina) | 157.5° to 202.5° | Yama | not consistently assigned |
| South-West (Nairutya) | 202.5° to 247.5° | Nirriti | Earth |
| West (Varuna / Paschima) | 247.5° to 292.5° | Varuna | not consistently assigned |
| North-West (Vayavya) | 292.5° to 337.5° | Vayu (Marut) | Air |
| Centre (Brahmasthan) | the middle of the plan | Brahma | Space |
Two vary between texts. Kramrisch notes that in Vastu, Kubera appears as Soma in the north, and that most earlier texts, including the Brihat Samhita, give the north-east to Agni rather than Ishana (p. 91).
The elements: a modern convention, and where the texts differ
The element column is the version you will meet most often. The architecture practice Morphogenesis, for example, places water in the north-east, fire in the south-east, earth in the south-west, air in the north-west and space at the centre (Morphogenesis).
The Manasara does not map them that way. In P.K. Acharya's translation, the nine-plot plan, which the translator fills in from related texts including the Mayamata, puts Aditya (the Sun) in the east, Yama in the south, Varuna in the west, Soma in the north, Isa in the north-east and Agni in the south-east. The two remaining corners go to Gagana (the sky) and Pavana (the wind), and Prithivi, the earth goddess, takes the centre (chapter VII, pp. 35 to 36). Fire in the south-east agrees with modern practice; earth at the centre and sky in a corner do not. Even the wind and sky corners appear both ways: lines 57 to 59 put Pavana in the south-west and Gagana in the north-west. So read the element map as a later convention on which practitioners differ.
The 16 zones: a practitioner system
Many practitioners halve each direction, giving 16 zones of 22.5°, each centred on a compass point: North runs from 348.75° to 11.25°. A printed overlay of this wheel, laid on a plan from its centre, is what many people call a Vastu chakra.
Watch the names. North-East is 22.5° to 67.5° in the eight-direction system but 33.75° to 56.25° in the 16-zone system. A door at 30° is North-East in one and North-North-East in the other, so ask which system a practitioner uses.
| Zone | Bearing range | Zone | Bearing range |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 348.75° to 11.25° | S | 168.75° to 191.25° |
| NNE | 11.25° to 33.75° | SSW | 191.25° to 213.75° |
| NE | 33.75° to 56.25° | SW | 213.75° to 236.25° |
| ENE | 56.25° to 78.75° | WSW | 236.25° to 258.75° |
| E | 78.75° to 101.25° | W | 258.75° to 281.25° |
| ESE | 101.25° to 123.75° | WNW | 281.25° to 303.75° |
| SE | 123.75° to 146.25° | NW | 303.75° to 326.25° |
| SSE | 146.25° to 168.75° | NNW | 326.25° to 348.75° |
Why call it a practitioner system? The classical plans we read divide the site into squares, not wedges. The closest thing in the Manasara is its 16-plot plan, which names 16 deities in order around the edge, starting from Isa in the north-east: Isa, Jayanta, Aditya, Bhrisa, Agni, Vitatha, Yama, Bhringaraja, Pitri, Sugriva, Varuna, Sosha, Maruta, Mukhya, Soma and Aditi (chapter VII, lines 61 to 68, pp. 36 to 37). That puts Aditya, Yama, Varuna and Soma mid-side and Isa, Agni, Pitri and Maruta at the corners. Reading the other eight as the in-between zones is our interpretation, not the text's. Practitioners also attach their own qualities to the 16 zones, and those lists vary between schools.
The Brahmasthan, the centre of the plan
In the 81-square plan, the Manasara gives Brahma the nine central squares (chapter VII, lines 110 to 111, p. 41). It lays the spirit of the site, the Vastu Purusha, across the whole grid, with his middle body on Brahma's squares, lying "by the north-east direction" in the translation's words (lines 253 to 255, p. 52). In the chapter on villages, Brahma takes 1 plot of the 49-plot plan, 4 of the 64 and 9 of the 81, with rings named for gods, men and spirits around it (chapter IX, lines 170 to 180, p. 72).
On the 81-square plan the Brahmasthan is the middle third each way: the centre cell of the common 3 x 3 grid, or 13.3 x 10 ft on a 40 x 30 ft house. Kramrisch notes that the texts treat the points in and around the Brahmasthan as the most vulnerable in the plan, and that doors and the like are generally not to be placed on the main lines, diagonals, their crossings or the centre (p. 53). Practitioners today commonly advise keeping the centre open and light, without a toilet, staircase or heavy column; Morphogenesis suggests open areas and skylights there.
An open centre also works physically. The Model Building Bye-Laws 2016 let habitable rooms take light and air from an internal courtyard of at least 3.0 x 3.0 m in buildings up to 12.5 m high (clause 4.30.1), and allow a skylight over a courtyard within the ground-coverage rules (clause 4.26.3). By our arithmetic, a 13.3 x 10 ft centre is about 4.1 x 3.0 m, just enough for that court. Your city's rules govern, along with your setbacks and FAR.
How to draw the zones on your plan
- Choose the outline. Most practitioners use the outer walls; some include verandahs or use the plot. Keep to one.
- Find the centre. Cross the diagonals of a rectangle; for irregular plans, see below.
- Draw true north through the centre. Use the approved plan's north arrow, or a compass reading plus the magnetic declination, east positive and west negative (NOAA NCEI).
- Rule the boundaries from the centre with a protractor. Eight directions: every 45° from 22.5°. Sixteen zones: every 22.5° from 11.25°. Carry each line past the walls.
- Read each item by its bearing from the centre, clockwise from north, against the tables above.
In the example, the hob sits at 105.5° from the centre: ESE in the 16-zone system (101.25° to 123.75°), but East in the eight (67.5° to 112.5°).
Grid or sectors?
They are not the same shape. On a square plan, the 3 x 3 grid's North-East cell spans 18.4° to 71.6° from the centre, wider than the 22.5° to 67.5° sector, and on a plan turned off north the grid stops lining up with the compass. Some practitioners draw the grid square to the walls and name each cell by its nearest direction; others use only sectors from the centre. If a room changes zone between the two, treat it as borderline.
Irregular plans: two ways to find the centre
An L-shaped or cut-corner plan has no obvious centre, and practitioners use one of two methods: the centre of the bounding rectangle, reading the missing part as a "cut" in that zone, or the centroid, the area-weighted balance point (cut the plan from card and it balances on a pin there).
In the example, coordinates run east and north from the south-west corner. The bounding rectangle is 40 x 45 ft, so R is at (20, 22.5) ft. For the centroid, Part 1 (800 sq ft, centre 20, 10) and Part 2 (600 sq ft, centre 12, 32.5) give x = (800 x 20 + 600 x 12) ÷ 1,400 = 16.6 ft and y = (800 x 10 + 600 x 32.5) ÷ 1,400 = 19.6 ft. The two centres are 4.5 ft apart. A room near a boundary can change zone, so note which method you used. If you are still choosing a plot, see what you can build on a small plot and the plot due-diligence checks.
In a flat: what you can and cannot change
Most practitioners draw the zones on the flat's own outer walls, not the building's, though views differ. You cannot move the centre, the shafts or the toilet stack. You can keep the centre as open circulation or dining rather than storage, choose which room does what, and place the bed, desk and pooja unit by the zones. For low-cost ideas, see our post on Vastu in modern homes.
FAQ
What are the 16 directions in Vastu?
N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW and NNW, each 22.5° wide and centred on its compass point. It is a practitioner system, not one from the classical texts.
What is the degree range of North-East in Vastu?
22.5° to 67.5° in the eight-direction system and 33.75° to 56.25° in the 16-zone system, clockwise from true north.
What is the Brahmasthan and what should be there?
The centre of the plan, which the texts give to Brahma: the middle third each way on the 81-square grid. Practitioners commonly advise keeping it open and light.
How do I find the centre of an irregular or L-shaped house?
Cross the diagonals of the smallest enclosing rectangle, or take the area-weighted centroid. Practitioners use both, and they can sit feet apart.
Planning a new home or reworking a plan? Find an architect on MOA or an interior designer on MOA who can lay out the zones with Vastu in mind, alongside light, ventilation and budget.
Sources
- P.K. Acharya (tr.): Architecture of Manasara, vol. IV (Oxford University Press, 1934), Internet Archive (ch. VII, ll. 51 to 68, pp. 35 to 37; ll. 110 to 111, p. 41; ll. 253 to 255, p. 52; ch. IX, ll. 170 to 180, p. 72) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- Stella Kramrisch: The Hindu Temple, vol. 1 (University of Calcutta, 1946), Internet Archive (pp. 53 and 91) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- Morphogenesis: The Quintessential Elements of Vastu Shastra: An Exploration of the Pancha Bhootas (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, TCPO: Model Building Bye-Laws 2016 (clauses 4.26 and 4.30.1) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
- NOAA NCEI: Geomagnetism Frequently Asked Questions (accessed 16 Oct 2026)