The 16 Vastu zones are sixteen equal sectors of 22.5 degrees each, measured from the centre of a home and named N, NNE, NE and so on around the compass. The classical texts give the directions, the centre and a grid of deity plots; they do not give a list of sixteen zones that each rule one part of life, such as health or money. Those themes are a modern teaching layer, and it is worth knowing which is which before you move a single room.
How the sixteen zones are drawn
Begin with the eight directions: four cardinal directions (north, east, south, west) and four corners (north-east, south-east, south-west, north-west). Halve each 45-degree sector and you have sixteen sectors of 22.5 degrees. North is centred on 0 degrees, so the north zone runs from 348.75 to 11.25 degrees, and every other zone follows in steps of 22.5.
| Zone | From | To | Zone | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 348.75° | 11.25° | S | 168.75° | 191.25° |
| NNE | 11.25° | 33.75° | SSW | 191.25° | 213.75° |
| NE | 33.75° | 56.25° | SW | 213.75° | 236.25° |
| ENE | 56.25° | 78.75° | WSW | 236.25° | 258.75° |
| E | 78.75° | 101.25° | W | 258.75° | 281.25° |
| ESE | 101.25° | 123.75° | WNW | 281.25° | 303.75° |
| SE | 123.75° | 146.25° | NW | 303.75° | 326.25° |
| SSE | 146.25° | 168.75° | NNW | 326.25° | 348.75° |
The Live compass reports a bearing in three layers: the direction among eight, the zone among sixteen, and the gate among thirty-two. Each zone holds exactly two gates of 11.25 degrees. The arithmetic is simple; the meaning attached to each sector is where care is needed.
What the classical texts describe
The Manasara and the Mayamata are two treatises widely cited for house planning, and both begin with orientation. They fix the east-west line with a gnomon (shanku) and the sun's shadow, then lay a square grid of plots (pada) over the site. The Manasara describes thirty-two such plans, from a single plot up to 1,024 plots. The plans of 64 and 81 plots receive the fullest treatment, and the Mayamata calls them Manduka and Paramashayika.
In every plan the Manasara places Brahma in the central plots. That central area is the Brahmasthan. The other deities are set around it, and the spirit of the site, the Vastu Purusha, is laid across the grid with his head towards the north-east. The text asks that none of his vital points be damaged by the building.
The direction deities, as the Manasara gives them in P. K. Acharya's English translation, are these:
| Direction | Deity in the Manasara |
|---|---|
| East | Aditya, the Sun (named Bhanu in the 64-plot plan) |
| South-east | Agni, fire |
| South | Yama |
| South-west | Pitr, the ancestors, in the 64-plot plan; Pavana, wind, in a smaller plan |
| West | Varuna, water |
| North-west | Marut, wind, in the 64-plot plan; Gagana, the sky, in a smaller plan |
| North | Soma, the Moon, also called Candra |
| North-east | Isha (Shiva) |
| Centre | Brahma |
The table shows something a reader should know: even within one text, the corner deities change from one plan to another. The everyday Hindi names of the corners, Ishan, Agneya, Nairritya and Vayavya, come from the wider list of guardians of the quarters (dikpala), in which Nirriti holds the south-west and Vayu the north-west. The tradition has more than one map, and an honest reading says so.
What each direction is said to govern
Most of what is said about a direction follows from its deity. Household tradition then adds practical uses. The right-hand column below is household practice, handed down and widely followed. It is given here as practice, and none of it is offered as a quotation from the texts.
| Direction | Textual basis | Traditional household use |
|---|---|---|
| North | Soma, the Moon | Open space, storage of valuables; often linked to Kubera, guardian of the north in the dikpala list |
| North-east | Isha | Prayer, water, kept light and clean |
| East | The Sun; Mahendra and Surya on the gate wheel | Windows and openings towards the morning sun |
| South-east | Agni | Kitchen |
| South | Yama | Heavier walls, fewer openings |
| South-west | Pitr, the ancestors | Master bedroom, heavy storage |
| West | Varuna, water | Dining, overhead water tank |
| North-west | Marut, wind | Guest room, goods that come and go |
| Centre | Brahma | Kept open and uncluttered |
The eight in-between zones
The passages checked for this article name no guardian for directions such as north-north-east. What the Manasara does give is the outer ring of the site plan, where a row of deities lines the boundary. On VastuMaster's 32-gate wheel, each in-between zone covers two of those outer deities:
| Zone | Degrees | Outer deities on the gate wheel |
|---|---|---|
| NNE | 11.25°–33.75° | Bhujag, Aditi |
| ENE | 56.25°–78.75° | Parjanya, Jayant |
| ESE | 101.25°–123.75° | Satya, Brusha |
| SSE | 146.25°–168.75° | Pusha, Vitatha |
| SSW | 191.25°–213.75° | Gandharva, Bhringraj |
| WSW | 236.25°–258.75° | Dauwarik, Sugriva |
| WNW | 281.25°–303.75° | Asur, Shosha |
| NNW | 326.25°–348.75° | Naga, Mukhya |
That is the textual footing of these zones: deity plots on the edge of the site plan. Modern courses have gone further and given each of the sixteen zones a theme of its own, such as a zone for recreation, a zone for churning or a zone for disposal. Those theme lists are modern. They differ from one school to another, and they are not part of the Manasara's chapter on site plans or, as far as I can find, of the Mayamata.
Avoid treating a theme list as scripture. Instead, read it as one teacher's system, and ask which text, and which plan within that text, a given rule comes from.
Where popular claims go beyond the texts
Three claims are best kept apart from the classical basis.
First, the idea that one zone controls one outcome, such as income or marriage. That is modern. The texts speak of deities, plots and the soundness of the site, and they do not assign a single life result to a 22.5-degree sector.
Second, the idea that metal strips, pyramids or coloured tapes correct a zone. These are modern products, and the named texts do not prescribe them. Avoid buying a correction before the reading is checked. Instead, confirm the bearing twice, confirm the zone, and then judge the room by the principles the texts do state: orientation, the open centre and the integrity of the plot.
Third, the precision of the degree itself. The texts lay out a site with a cord, a gnomon and a grid of plots. Reading that grid to a fraction of a degree is a modern way of applying it: VastuMaster's wheel converts the plots into bearings so that a phone reading can be placed on them. The method is careful arithmetic on the classical scheme, and it should be described as such.
Using the zones in your own home
- Take the facing of the main door with the Live compass, standing inside and looking out.
- Find the centre of the home and take the bearing of each room from there.
- Write down the direction, zone and gate for each reading, and check it against the table above.
- If a reading falls within a degree or two of a boundary, avoid choosing the zone you would prefer. Instead, repeat the reading from a slightly different spot, and if it still sits on the line, record both zones and ask a consultant to look at that room.
The full list of tools is on the tools page, and the approach behind them is described on the About page. A Hindi version of the compass is at /hi/tools/live-compass.