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Shilpa Shastras literally means the Science of Shilpa – Arts, Crafts and Architecture. It is an ancient umbrella term for numerous Dharmic texts that describe arts, crafts, and their design rules, principles and standards. In the context of temple design, Shilpa Shastras were manuals for sculpture and Dharmic iconography, prescribing among other things, the proportions of a sculptured figure, composition, principles, meaning, as well as rules of architecture. Sixty-four techniques for such arts or crafts, sometimes called bāhya-kalā “external or practical arts”, are traditionally enumerated, including carpentry, architecture, jewellery, farriery, acting, dancing, music, medicine, poetry etc., besides sixty-four abhyantara-kalā or “secret arts”‘ including “erotic arts”. While Shilpa and Vastu Shastras are related, Shilpa Shastras deal with arts and crafts such as forming statues, icons, stone murals, painting, carpentry, pottery, jewellery, dying, textiles and others.Vastu Shastras deal with building architecture – building houses, forts, temples, apartments, village and town layout, etc.
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