Designing Bhubaneswar: Gangua Nala at a glance

Introduction: The Bridge That Wasn’t Just a Bridge

I stood on the narrow bridge between Mani Tribhuvan and Royal Lagoon in Raghunathpur — a place most people drive past without thinking. Cars rolled over it, school vans idled beside it, and joggers crossed it with earphones in, never looking down. But I did.

Below me, water moved slow, dirty, uncelebrated. A polluted stream, covered with the failures of municipal bodies. To anyone passing, it looked like a random storm drain. Nearby area cluttered with piles of plastic and other stinking dead bodies of cows and dogs.

But I wasn’t there by accident. I had a question:

Does this small channel connect to something larger?

Does this water, quiet and ignored, belong to the living archive of Bhubaneswar’s forgotten natural system? Cities don’t die in a day. They fade silently, layer by layer starting from the places no one looks at closely. For Bhubaneswar, that silent, forgotten place is Gangua Nala. Ask any citizen about it, and you will hear: “Oh… that drain near Tankapani… that dirty canal…”. But if you dig deeper — into the soil, the maps, the memory of old Bhubaneswar — you discover something else: Gangua was never born a drain.

It was a river.

A river that once formed the natural southern moat of Ekamra Kshetra, fed the wetlands of the ancient city, protected the settlements, balanced floods, and nurtured the first agricultural belts. If Bhubaneswar is a planned capital, Gangua is the unplanned spine that everything quietly depends on.

And this episode is where we finally give it the attention it always deserved.

A historical trace- from river to drain

The Ancient Identity: Gandhabati / Kushabhadra Branch, it was seasonal, but it was never artificial. Archeological evidence points that the Gandhabati banks were home to settlements as early as the 4th century BCE, where Gangua provided water for irrigation, drinking and religious practices. Many of the city’s historic temples, including Mukteswar, Lingaraj, and Rajarani, were once directly linked to Gangua’s water system.

 In fact, modern city planner Otto Koenigsberger in 1948 explicitly used Gangua as a stormwater drain for the new capital: Bhubaneswar, its foundation was laid on April 13th, 1948.

During the Planning Era: 1950–1990, Its width reduced., Its flow slowed., Encroachment became normal.

The Rebranding: From Nadi to Nala.

Maps now call it a nala. Budgets treat it like a drain. But hydrologically, nothing changed —it still carries the stormwater of more than 60% of the city. Old regional hydrology maps and oral histories from the villages around Tankapani and Dhauli suggest that Gangua was once a natural drainage channel connected to the Daya–Kushabhadra system. As Bhubaneswar expanded: Natural wetlands were reclaimed, Village tanks were filled, Stormwater paths were interrupted, Concrete replaced soil, Gangua silently took the burden. Eventually, the river’s social identity changed.

The Geography of Flow

Before Bhubaneswar became a grid of roads and expanding apartments, it was shaped by the land — not the other way around. Water moved with gravity, following contour lines, feeding wetlands, tanks, and natural depressions. Older villages like Ghatikia, Raghunathpur, Patia and Chandrasekharpur were all positioned around water forms — not roads.

Gangua Nala existed long before planning documents named it. It was once part of the Kuakhai river system, acting as a spillway, a seasonal flood escape channel, and ecological corridor. The Mahanadi splits into several branches. One major branch becomes the Kuakhai River. Gangua Nala branches off from the Kuakhai, flowing southward and skirting the eastern edge of Bhubaneswar. This makes Gangua a secondary distributary of Mahanadi.

Gangua does not originate from Daya or Kusabhadra. After flowing for several kilometres, Gangua meets the Daya River just before the Daya moves toward Chilika. From there, the Daya eventually connects with the Kusabhadra system downstream near Dhauli–Balipatna regions.

So the hierarchy is:

Mahanadi → Kuakhai → Gangua → Daya → Kusabhadra (downstream linkage)

 Today, however, Gangua is mostly known as:

“That polluted drain south of the city.”

But hydrology ignores reputation. It remembers shape. And shape tells us something important:

Most of Bhubaneswar’s natural drainage eventually flows toward Gangua.

The Forgotten Spine

Maps of Bhubaneswar’s drainage network show something fascinating: a branching system — almost like lungs — draining the north, east, and western urban zones into a single channel. At the bottom of this network is Gangua. Every storm drain, culvert, nala and roadside canal is part of a hierarchy:

Local runoff ↓ Feeder drain / tributary ↓ Secondary drain ↓ Major drainage corridor ↓ Gangua Nala ↓ Kuakhai River

When a city grows, its water remembers everything. Gangua Nala—once a seasonal stream that carried the monsoon breath of the Kuakhai—has slowly become the most misunderstood, mishandled, yet structurally essential vein of Bhubaneswar. Anyone who looks at it today sees only a dark, clogged drain running through the eastern periphery of the city. But behind that murky surface lies the real story: a natural water system that was reshaped, confined, and finally choked by rapid urbanisation. If Bhubaneswar’s geography was a living textbook, Gangua Nala would be the chapter that explains how a city forgets its rivers while expanding into a ‘smart’ skyline.

The first problem begins with perception. Gangua is not a drain; it became a drain because the city treated it like one. What was once a clear, flowing channel collecting excess monsoon water from Chandaka, Khandagiri and the natural slopes of the city, is today the endpoint of unmonitored sewerage lines that discharge untreated water every hour. The pollution is not subtle—it is visible in floating garbage bags, remnants of household puja materials, discarded idols, plastic waste, animal carcasses, and the grey slurry released by apartments, industries, and small factories that operate on the edges of the drainage basin. Many of these buildings have Water Treatment Plants only on paper. Others have WTPs that exist physically but are non-functional, uncalibrated, unchecked and entirely mismanaged. The regulatory oversight is almost ceremonial. Approvals are handed out quickly; inspections rarely happen; wastewater management is not just loosely enforced but almost entirely ignored unless a major complaint arises.

The cumulative effect of this carelessness is catastrophic. Gangua Nala can no longer breathe. It does not carry water; it carries the burden of a city that refuses to grow responsibly. Even during the rains, when the nala should spread its natural floodplains, the water surges unpredictably because the channel is narrowed, encroached, and filled with debris. Bhubaneswar’s drainage masterplan always placed Gangua as a backbone for monsoon resilience. Instead, it has been converted into a dumping corridor.

This failure becomes even more evident when we revisit the government's ambitious announcement: turning Gangua into an inland waterway. It was a beautiful idea on paper—reviving the channel, deepening it, cleaning it, and transforming it into a navigable, green corridor that connects farmlands, peri-urban pockets, and the expanding eastern suburbs. But today, that vision feels distant, almost abandoned. An inland waterway requires consistent water quality, uninterrupted flow, reinforced embankments, ecological buffers, and a culture of zero-dumping. None of these conditions exist yet. The plan floated, gained media attention, and then gradually dissolved into administrative silence.

The Possibility of Restoration

The story doesn’t have to end as a lament. There is a practical and visionary way to restore Gangua—an approach that merges hydrology, ecology and urban design. I imagine a GBG corridor: Green–Blue–Green, a continuous linear system where two green belts protect and celebrate the central blue line of the nala. On both sides, dense vegetative buffers absorb pollutants, stabilize the embankments, and create ecological pockets for birds, insects and amphibians—reviving the micro-ecosystems that once thrived here. Between these green arms lies the blue artery—the rejuvenated nala—clean, aerated, and restored to a natural flow profile. Not a canal of concrete, but a breathing water body that belongs to the land.

To make the GBG corridor function, Bhubaneswar must separate its water logic. Rainwater cannot mix with sewage; yet today, they merge everywhere. Dedicated rainwater channels should be carved parallel to the main flow, feeding the nala only during the monsoons, not during household activities or commercial discharge. The city needs decentralized wastewater treatment units—small, community-level WTPs built near dense residential pockets and industrial clusters. These WTPs must be functional, audited, and maintained. Many cities around the world do this; Bhubaneswar can too, but only with political will and administrative discipline.

The industries and apartments that line the periphery of Gangua must be answerable. Zero-discharge policies cannot be optional. Every building must be required to not just have a treatment plant but maintain it, operate it, track it, and submit digital reports monthly. Violations must invite penalties—not symbolic ones but meaningful fines that reflect environmental damage. The city must be brave enough to enforce these rules, because rivers do not negotiate with us. When they collapse, cities suffer silently—through waterlogging, flooding, groundwater contamination and the slow death of green cover.

Restoring Gangua also means reimagining its role in Bhubaneswar’s identity. It can be a linear park, a cycling-walking greenway, a climate corridor that brings down urban heat, a waterscape that reconnects eastern Bhubaneswar with its natural heritage. The GBG corridor can become the city’s longest continuous public space, weaving ecology with accessibility. Stormwater can find its natural path again. The waterway plan—if revived with scientific grounding rather than political excitement—can even materialize over time as water quality improves.

Gangua Nala is not a forgotten stream; it is a mirror that shows us what Bhubaneswar is becoming. Whether it remains a polluted trench or transforms into a regenerative corridor depends entirely on the choices the city makes today. Urban design is not about buildings and flyovers alone. It is also about rivers, soils, air, drainage, and the invisible systems that make a city livable. Gangua, in its silence, has been carrying the weight of Bhubaneswar’s neglect for decades. Now it waits—perhaps impatiently—for the city to finally recognize its true place and give it the dignity of a river once again.

Vivid research for future reference

Gangua Nala Contamination

Research shows that Bhubaneswar’s Gangua Canal (a 23 km urban “nullah”) is the primary source of pollution to the Daya River[1]. The 1.2 million city population depends on these waters, yet Gangua carries untreated industrial and sewage waste. Water‐quality surveys report critically high BOD along Gangua – values of 1.8–39 mg/L (whereas a healthy river’s BOD should be <5 mg/L)[2] – and corresponding dips in dissolved oxygen. Other indicators likewise exceed safe standards: for example an Odisha PCB report found DO, BOD, COD and E. coli all “beyond permissible limits” in the Daya after Gangua’s inflow[3]. Downstream of Gangua the Daya’s coliform count jumps by orders of magnitude: ~61,300/100 mL at Manitri and ~74,900/100 mL at Kanti after the confluence[4], far above the 500/100 mL norm. This evidence underlines Gangua’s overwhelming contribution of organic and bacterial pollution to the river.

Cultural Waste and Activism

In addition to sewage, community practices have burdened Gangua. Residents note that idol immersions and puja waste (as in many Indian rivers) add to its pollutant load. In early 2025 environmental groups (e.g. Mahanadi Bachao, Gangua Bachao, Daya Surakhya Abhijan) issued a formal resolution: they demanded the government initiate urgent cleanup of the Daya and Gangua, and even argued Gangua should be restored to “river” status given its ecological role[5]. They pressed for scientific input and local oversight in the revival project, rather than a purely engineering approach. Crucially, they demanded an inquiry into why planned STPs along Gangua have not been completed and called for strict action against all polluters (industries, housing complexes, etc.) fouling the Gangua–Daya system[6].

Water Infrastructure and Treatment

The state has launched major infrastructure initiatives to improve Bhubaneswar’s water treatment. A new 130 MLD water‐treatment plant at Mundali (drawing from the Mahanadi) was approved in late 2022, with construction starting in early 2023 and a target completion by March 2025[7]. Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar’s sewerage master plan calls for several new STPs: for example, Meherpali (56 MLD), Bauaghai (28 MLD), Kochilaput (43.5 MLD), Pakhrapur (8.5 MLD) and a nearly complete plant at Rokat (48 MLD)[8]. In sum about 186.5 MLD of STP capacity is proposed (against roughly 130 MLD current demand)[9]. Once operational, these facilities should divert sewage out of natural drains like Gangua. (Citizen activists are watching closely, noting that any unfinished Gangua‐area STPs remain a critical gap[6].)

Government Coordination and Next Steps

Finally, officials have intensified oversight. In December 2025 a high‐level meeting chaired by the Urban Development Minister (attended by BMC Commissioner Usha Padhee and others) reviewed the Gangua Nala Improvement Project along with Nicco Park and overall storm‐water drains[10][11]. The ministers stressed an integrated approach – clearing encroachments, restoring riverbanks, upgrading public amenities and drainage in tandem – with strict timelines and quality checks[11]. This renewed government push, combined with persistent citizen pressure, represents a turning point: it aims to ensure Gangua’s revitalization and to stem its pollution of the Daya before the next monsoon.

Sources: Peer‐reviewed studies and reports on Daya/Gangua water quality[1][2][12]; local news and government releases detailing activism and projects[5][6][7][8][9][11].

---

Citations

[1] Surface Water Quality Assessment, Prediction, and Modeling of the River Daya in Odisha

https://www.chijournal.org/Journals/PDF/C508

[2] fishtaxa.com

https://fishtaxa.com/index.php/FishTaxa/article/download/174/171/339

[3] [4] [12] journalijar.com

https://www.journalijar.com/uploads/2017/10/498_IJAR-20306.pdf

[5] [6] Make Daya river pollution-free, demand activists

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bhubaneswar/2025/Feb/07/make-daya-river-pollution-free-demand-activists

[7]  Odisha Cabinet approves bid for 130 MLD water treatment plant for Bhubaneswar

https://odishatv.in/news/odisha/odisha-cabinet-approves-bid-for-130-mld-water-treatment-plant-for-bhubaneswar-196928

[8] [9] devalt.org

https://devalt.org/images/L2_ProjectPdfs/Understanding_Waterflows_In_Bhubaneshwar_HBF.pdf

[10] [11]  Odisha govt resolves to restore polluted Gangua canal

https://www.uniindia.com/news/east/development-odisha-gangua-nala/3668885.html

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Preface of Interior designing: Chapter-1

Our home is the shelter to our lives. And every little thing that we buy for ourselves, for example, a coffee mug or a shirt also takes us through hours of shortlisting and choosing. But when it comes to our own house, we don't even opt for a planner or designer. Most of us rely on the builder or contractor. In some projects, the architects do the initial plans and in reference to that the whole project is including interiors is executed without any objective or vision.

As people spend 50-60 per cent of their lives at their homes, they interact the most with the spaces, the furniture and the elements present there. Thus, it becomes too much important for any house to have a modelled and aesthetic appearance, positive functions and good vibes.

Interior Designing is the styling and organising of your living spaces into something emotional and appealing. All the elements of interior design are functional and carry a delightful presence with space-saving attitudes and appearances of one's own tastes and flavours in design. It is basically the art of creating innovative designs of a house based on a person's tastes, experiences and likes. The aim of interior designing is quite simple - to design a home that is in line with the residents living in it, that serves the purpose of every member of the house, that is eco friendly and

has every modern technology and aesthetic decors as per personal tastes - all in a specified budget. 

Interior designing, as a field, is in high demand today and there are multiple scopes in this field. Interior designing doesn't only include the modernised designs but also the old modelled designs, designs with French, Greek, Roman, English countryside tastes as well. There are wooden interior designs for nature lovers and there are fully framed metallic and stone elements for technology lovers. Starting from the walls, floors, rugs, curtains, shelves, ceilings, storage, doors, windows, decor - everything inside the house comes under the scope of interior designing.

This concept and course area is seen in the modern era. However, the origin of the ideas is purely ancient found among the people of Greek civilization as well as Indus valley civilization. The interior design is also found in the vedic text named as Antarika Vastu where positions, placements and orientations of each element inside the house are considered based on certain Vaastu principles. 

Elements of interior design are space, form, shapes, patterns, lines, light, colour and texture. Essentials of interior design are space saving ideas, easy to maintain layouts, smart solutions, minimalistic decor, comfort, technical utilization and stipulated budget. Interior design is often confused with interior decoration. Simply put, all interior designers are interior decorators but interior decorators are not interior designers. The main difference lies in the use of technicalities by interior designers which gives a huge value to the output. If we distinguish between the architects, civil engineers and interior designers, the architect comes first to give the external design, the civil engineer looks after the structural construction and the interior designer come at the last who designs the interior space. 

The work and workflow of an interior designer are very systematic and defined step by step backed by individual respective documents. Each step is the perfect successor of the next step making it very precise and pristine. Documents includes the GA drawings, Layout plans, elevation drawings, 3D visualizations of different partitions, etc, etc.

The work of an interior designer generally includes the following steps:

1. Plan a layout- It is the initial step where an interior designer is supposed to do a rough bubble drawing for space management of a built-up area with outside walls. In some good projects, a general space utilization would have already been provided by the architect or planner who plans the house and its structures. A 2D floor plan layout is created for each floor with proper measurements. Dimensions of each room, partition walls, other RCC entities are also provided in this drawing. 

2. Furniture Layout- This is the foundation of many of the successive steps, so major care is taken while finalizing this layout plan. Repetitive revisions may also occur during this process, making this process flexible and interactive. This layout is prepared using standard measurements for every piece of furniture. Best wall for putting bed/ wardrobe/ dressing/ study table/ sofa/ sanitarywares/ dining table/ utility shelves are also finalized in this step. 

3.  False ceiling layout- This layout view is just below the main ceiling wall. Framing drawings along with fasteners and clamps are also selected and placed as per the requirements and loading capacity in this drawing. False ceiling is mostly given for aesthetical purposes, to cover the wires, vent pipes, HVAC connections and plumbing pipes (conceal work). People do ceiling using gypsum boards, fibre sheets, wood & composite ply boards, glass, metal, synthetic leather, cloth, PVC, dust ply boards, etc. Different patterns can be used in single or multiple layers for a better aesthetic perspective. Multilayers mostly include 2 or 3 layers based on the demand, material, budget and other parameters. 

4. Electrical layout- MEP stands for mechanical, electrical and plumbing work which is done by an experienced engineer only. Mechanical drawings include the details related to ducts, AC, heater, etc. Electrical drawings include the positioning of lights, switchboards and fans, ceiling lights, spotlights, RGB connections, the complete wiring layout and details. While doing the electrical layout, the furniture layout is taken as a reference for proper positioning of switchboards and other electrical ammeninties. The positioning of MCB is a very technical and cost accounting task. With proper placement of MCB a huge differential value in economical aspect can be accounted, if planned properly by an interior designer. Therefore it is highly recommended to involve and interior designer while planning the electrical layouts of any building. 

5. Plumbing layout- Plumbing drawings includes the details of piping. water connections, sanitary wares, taps, inlets and outlets, etc. In most cases the builder or the contractor take up the plumbing works. But it is highly preffered to give the plumbing works to the interior designer for proper planning and execution. The interior designer will place and position all the inlet and outlet points based on utilities, comfort, aesthetics and requirements. Moreover, the whole process will involve more technical insights which will help the owner in the long run. Postioning of showers/ wash basins/ sink/ WC, dividing the bathroom into wet and dry zones along with proper sloping measurements to drain, proper concealing of pipe inside thick walls and use of two walls max for plumbing are some of the technical aspects taken into consideration while planning an electrical layout by a skilled interior designer. 

6. Flooring layout- Flooring is one of the most essential part in the interior designing. It is because, the flooring will be in line or in contrasting to all other elements can be decided properly by an interior designer only. Selections of materials/ tiles/ boards/ floor stickers, sizes, no of tiles/ boards, color scheme, textures or patterns, tints, etc. are all to be done in this process. A drawing is to be provided by the interior designer based many pre- made documents such as the furniture layout, electrical layout and plumbing layout. Different types of floorings includes marble flooring, ceramic or vitrified (silica) tile flooring, vinyl flooring, hardwood flooring, granite flooring, bamboo flooring, concrete flooring, laminate flooring, linoleum flooring, terrazzo flooring, brick flooring, redoxide flooring, etc, etc. 

7. Interior decoration- At last comes the interior decoration part where based on a client's requirements, aesthetics, emotions, ambience in totality color combination, furniture selection, fabric selection, curtain selection, glorification and plant selection, sculpture selections, decorative material selection, the luminousity of the light, the glossiness or reflectivity of different material, theme based selections,  etc. etc. are done. The factors taken into consideration are budget, quality, comfort requirement, residents' perspectives, aesthetics, ambience etc. 

Since the interior design topic is very vast, there will be a upcoming series of chapter describing all the points vividly. If you find this article or blog useful, kindly share your views in the comment box below. If it did any value addition to your information bar, then you can learn more of such content by flowing this website page. There is a follow button below, you can click on it and get instantaneous updates once I upload any new blog or article. In the next chapter I will be taking about the physical components of interior designs vividly. Keep in touch... 

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How to buy an apartment based on Vastu compliance?

Recapturing the gist of my previous blog Vastu: The profound sense of dwelling, I can assure you that the knowledge of Vastu is really essential while buying or making a dwelling. Nowadays, people interested in turnkey-based projects don't want the hotchpotch involved in making a perfectly finished house with all other extra included facilities. Facilities like security services, clubhouses, dedicated parking areas, children's parks, recreation grounds, community halls, swimming pools, gym, installation of Water Treatment Plants, Sewerage Treatment Plants, Generators, fire protection system, camera surveillance, etc. can't be mitigated by a single residential owner. Therefore, the consumer push is more toward the big real estate projects like apartments, simplexes, duplexes, and villas. People are also flooding the urban areas and a differential shift to urbanization is also causing this demand. To meet this rising demand many builders and real estate agencies are growing in numbers difficult to reckon. Some of them are deceiving and showing fraudulent projects just to boost their sell and gather money from the ignorant customers.

When it comes to the Vastu of apartments, traditional Vastu rules fail in many regions. Many contemporary Vastu consultants also hesitate to audit the Vastu of a flat or apartment because of its multiplying complexities. During the origins of Vastu Shastra nearly 5000 years ago, there were no apartments or flats, so the gathered principles of traditional Vastu had not encountered today's modern designs and architecture. But with proper assessment of the fundamental principles of Vastu, it can also be applied to flats and apartments.

Hence, in this blog, I will define the Vastu compliances vividly for a common buyer trying to buy an apartment in the coming future. I have also written: How to buy an apartment? and Websites to look upon while buying an apartment in Odisha. Please go through them for an initial understanding of how to buy an apartment and acquire all the legal documents online while buying an apartment in Odisha.

The suitable Vastu of an apartment can be derived from different parameters such as the position and movement of the Sun, the relative motion of the moon, the direction of the wind, atmospheric parameters like temperature, pressure, etc., climatic and seasonal changes, horoscope of the owner or builder, flow of energies and radiation in the apartment, magnetic fields and other invisible forces, location of the source of water, the colour used in the apartment, textures, obstructions, damage in the apartment, etc, etc. 

Direction is considered as the most important factor in Vastu and hence it has been divide into 4 major and 4 sub directions. The 4 major directions as we know are East, West, North, South and the four Sub- directions are Northeast (Eshan), Southeast (Agneya), Southwest (Nirutya/Nairutya), Northwest (Vayaya). The 9th direction is the top perpendicular direction to all these 8 directions called the space (Akash or Mahaakash)  and the 10th direction is considered as the bottom perpendicular direction as hell (patal). 

North is governed by Kuber; the deity of wealth and prosperity. The planet attached to this direction is Mercury (Buddha). As per the magnetic poles, the magnetic field lines flow is from north to south direction and we also know that the field lines originates from positive and descends on the negative side. This implies that the north is a source of positive energy and the apartment or flat having a north entrance will always be positive, abundant, open to possibilities, more into giving rather than taking, etc. etc. The geographical north is also 10 to 12 degrees apart from the magnetic north. So, the 1st quadrant 2/4 or 3/4 position is considered as the best position for the entrance. 

South is the bank of all good energies of North. It is at that end where the magnetic field lines disappear. Hence there shouldn't be big openings on that end. This direction is governed by the planet Mars (Mangal). Hindu deity residing in this direction is Yam; the deity of death. Yam is always considered as the taker of lives. So, there will always be more of a taking element rather than the giving one. Therefore, the south entrance is contemplated as impoverished or enervated and is always closed mostly. However, there's one section of the 4th quadrant(Southeastquadrant) i.e. the 4/4th section which is considered auspicious and can be taken into account when planning for a south entrance. Implying the 10 to 12 degrees tilting rule between geographical and magnetic south. the 4/4th section is that point where the magnetic south rests. This magnetic south is that point where all the mag lines submerge making it the best receiving section. 

The East direction is powerful. The deity residing nearby is Indra; the deity of rain and thunder adjacent to the deity Surya. The direction is governed by the biggest celestial body of the solar system; the Sun (Surya). Sun has the highest impact in each and every term from all other planets. Hence making this direction the strongest of all. Sunrises in the east and therefore, the east direction is always lighted, kept more open, clean, etc. Some of the best Vastu apartments give more openings in this direction mostly. Making heavy walls, staircases, accommodating a toilet in this direction is considered as an offence in the Vast rules. East is considered as the best for entrance. 

The West direction is where the sun sets and hence it symbolizes stability in life. Varun; the deity of Rain, fame, fate resides in this direction as per Vastu Purusha Mandala. Saturn (Shani) is the governing planet of the west. Big openings in this direction will result in the dissipation of the solar energy stored from the east. As an entrance, you can go for the west. However, entrance in the north-west quadrant will be better than the south-west quadrant. In the Vastu Purusha Mandala, the deities residing in the west side padas are Raga, Yama, Sesa, Asura, Varuna, Pusya, Sugriva, Nandi and pitara. So, the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th padas are considered good for the entrance when compared to an east entrance. 

As per Vastu Purusa Mandala, the Northeast direction (Eshan kon) is governed by Isa; another name of Shiva. The representative planet for this direction is Jupiter (Brihaspati). It is the most dominant direction if considered in terms of Vastu. Irrespective of your horoscopes and psychology, it has its own piousness in providing a positive mentality, a creative perspective for every action performed there. The magnetic axis starts from northeast to south-west making it the rejuvenating source of positivity. The best place for a water source can be dug in from here. The best corner for worship and the best place for concentration and creativity is found in this direction only. Being ruled by the water element it is also recommended to water fountains in this corner. It is also important to leave much open space in the Northeast direction as it is a beneficiary source of rain, wind and sunlight combined. 

The Southeast direction (Agneya Kon) is the place of the fire element owned by the fire deity; Agnidev. The representative planet for this direction is Venus (Shukra). Scientifically, this is that quadrant where the sun is in its hottest phase making it suitable for fire-related works. Anti elements like water and wind shall not be taken in from this corner. The use of the Southeast is a delicate matter and planning should be very precise while designing this corner.

The Southwest direction (Nirutya/Nairutya Kon) is owned by Pitarah and the corresponding celestial body for the southwest is Rahu. Rahu is the north lunar node (ascending moon) and along with Ketu is considered as a shadowed moon in eclipse. magnetic energies flowing from the northeast meet in this quadrant. Southwest if planned properly can give health, wealth and prosperity in abundance. Being governed by the earth element, the Southwest ground level must be a little higher than the other corners. Southwest must be enclosed with thick walls with proper ventilation. A proper room for the owner or master of the dwelling. Bad southwest can affect mentally causing trauma, stress, depression and anxiety. 

Northwest corner (Vayaya kon) is governed by the deity Vayudev; the God of winds. The celestial body in this direction is the moon. The wind being the element of abundance there, can make this place a li'l unstable. It shows 315 degrees in the directional compass. This direction is good for gardening and plantation, good for balconies and open-air spaces but not a good place for storage, basement or water source. The kitchen is a strict no in this area. However, considering many salient Vastu rules we can also change the plans for the benefit of the owner.

Below are certain broad points about Vastu compliance you all should check before buying an apartment.

1. Society Vastu: Entrance of society, facing of the society, placement of generators, positions of swimming pools, the position of water source like boring or sump/tank in the Northeast corner and position of the sewerage unit, soak pit, drains in the Northwest, North or West direction etc. Northeast is never an option for stairs, guard's room or servant's room. Ask for the complete layout of your apartment from the builder or owner. Check the orientation of the whole apartment as well as your flat.

 

2. Vaastu of your apartment: Parkside facing flats, roadside facing flat, Maha Dwaar exalted, Balconies directions in East direction or North direction, North / Northwest / East / 4th block of Southeast quadrant facing entrance mostly. The Northeast corner must have the pooja room where deities are to be shrined. Keeping kitchen, toilets, stores and servant room in this corner is not accounted good. Southwest corner must be picked for the master bedroom where the head of the family will reside. West or south is also preferred for drawing or hall. The Northwest corner can be for study/ childrens' rooms/ drawing room/ living area/ hall/ guest room etc. Bathrooms must be present in the south or west direction only. The kitchen is to be present in the southwest direction as it is the fire element corner of the flat. The most preferable positions of windows are in the east or in the north direction. Windows opening inwards is a must check in houses using traditional window design. Based on Pada Vinyasa, Veethi vinyasa and Marma sthaan the planning of the house is done. Along with that Ayadi Shadvarga calculation is done.

3. Ownership hand: The house must be newly painted, check the history of the previous owner, Vastu Pujan or Grihaprabesh puja is to be done before dwelling in any house. Make this a strict point not to use old owner's left belongings, etc. If you are buying an old apartment always check for cracks, seepages and leakage areas, functioning of the switches and sanitary wares. If there's any electrical appliance installed do check its functionality also. Do a well to do repair if you find any issues in the above-mentioned points. 

5. Grihnada Vastu ( House owner's compatibility)- Compatibility between the Nakshatra of the house owner and house, test for determining body constitution (Vata-Pitta-Kapha) of the house owner and the results based on the same - such as which bedroom is auspicious for him, etc. Suggestions based on the Job of the house owner and Ekayoni checks based on the same. etc. The matchmaking of the land horoscope and the owner's horoscope is also done for better results.

6. Antarika Vastu (Interior design )- - Results based on the placement of Cot, Chair, washbasin, fridge, AC, etc. Within each room inside the house are taken into consideration in this section. Positions and orientations based on each element inside the house are considered using Vastu principles only. The use of paint, colour selection, wallpaper shapes, etc are also depicted based on the Vastu principles.

7. Muhurtha- In Vāstu, an auspicious moment with the best Muhurta is selected for each stage of work to be started. Such a Muhurta itself gives long life to the construction. Starting work without auspicious Muhurta is just like giving treatment to a dead. One can conclude that however well the building might be constructed as per the principles of Vastu if the important Muhurta combinations are not achieved to the owner is likely to suffer the effects of bad Muhurta as enunciated and outlined. A proper Muhurta should be made use of; otherwise, the very purpose of big projects is likely to be lost. Proper muhurta must be observed so that the Vāstu constructed on such land would last long. The muhurta must be selected on astrological rather than religious considerations. While selecting a muhurta, the astrological principles rather than religious ones should be observed very carefully.

After saying all these points, I would also like to conclude by saying that no direction is good or bad, it's the house planning based on the utility which either makes it good or bad. So, as per my recommendation whenever you choose to buy an apartment/ flat/ simplex or duplex for your dwelling always consult a Valid Vastu Consultant. If that's not happening then at least shortlist some salient points from this blog and do a crosscheck with the house you are going to buy. It is not a matter of days or months, it will be a lifelong asset that will have direct interaction and influence in your life. So choose wisely! IF you have any doubts regarding any issue, you can consult with me by sending me a comment on this blog or just pinging me will do. 

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