Vastu — Frequently Asked Questions
The questions people ask us most, answered plainly — covering Vastu basics, directions and placement, defects and remedies, and how Navivastu's online analysis works.
Want to go deeper? Browse our Vastu guides or the Vastu glossary.
Vastu basics
What is Vastu Shastra in simple terms?
Vastu Shastra is the traditional Indian science of architecture. It offers principles for placing rooms and functions in the parts of a home where their energy — light, air, heat, water and activity — works best, based on the five elements and the eight directions.
Is Vastu scientific?
Vastu is a traditional design framework rather than a modern empirical science. Many of its principles — orienting for morning light, ventilating well, and keeping heavy mass to the south-west — overlap with sound architectural practice. It is best treated as a thoughtful design tradition, not a guarantee of outcomes.
Does Vastu really matter for a flat or apartment?
Yes. Even in a flat you can apply the core ideas: keep the north-east light and clutter-free, sleep with your head to the south or east, keep the kitchen and toilets out of the wrong zones where possible, and weight storage to the south and west. Most flat defects have simple, non-structural remedies.
What are the five elements in Vastu?
The five elements (Pancha Bhoota) are earth, water, fire, air and space. Each is linked to a direction — earth to the south-west, water to the north-east, fire to the south-east, air to the north-west, and space to the centre — and rooms are ideally placed to match their element.
Directions and placement
Which direction should the main door face?
North, east and north-east facings are classically favoured, but every facing can work. What matters most is the exact pada (position) of the door along the wall. Auspicious padas exist in every direction, so a well-placed door can carry any facing.
Is a south-facing house bad?
No — this is a common myth. A south-facing home can be prosperous when the main door is in an auspicious southern pada (S3 or S4) and the interior is well zoned. Facing alone never makes a home good or bad.
Where should the kitchen be as per Vastu?
The south-east is ideal, since the kitchen represents fire. The north-west is an acceptable alternative. Avoid the north-east and south-west. Within the kitchen, cook facing east and keep the stove and sink apart.
Which direction should I sleep in?
Sleep with your head towards the south or east, and avoid the head pointing north. The master bedroom is best in the south-west of the home.
Where should toilets be located?
The best positions are the west-north-west and south-south-west. Avoid a toilet in the north-east, the exact centre (Brahmasthan), or the south-east kitchen zone. A north-east toilet is the placement to check and remedy first.
Defects and remedies
Should I worry if my home has a Vastu defect?
Not usually. Almost every home has one or two defects — it is completely normal. A single defect does not doom a household, and most defects have practical remedies. The value of an analysis is telling you which defects actually matter.
Do I have to break walls to fix Vastu problems?
Almost never. The large majority of defects respond to non-structural remedies — colour, lighting, placement changes, metals, water, mirrors and decluttering. Demolition is a rare last resort.
What is the easiest Vastu remedy?
Decluttering. Keeping the north-east corner and the centre of your home clean, open and light is one of the simplest and most effective remedies in all of Vastu.
Can colour really fix a Vastu defect?
Colour is one of the most accessible remedies because it needs no construction. Using favourable colours for a zone's element — calming blues in water zones, earthy tones in the south-west — helps rebalance a room that clashes with its function.
Using Navivastu
How does the online Vastu analysis work?
You upload your floor plan, set the direction your home faces using the compass tool, and tag your rooms. Navivastu's engine maps each room to its zone and pada, checks it against classical rules, and returns an overall score with room-by-room verdicts and remedies.
Is my floor plan uploaded to a server?
No. Your floor plan and the analysis happen entirely in your browser — the image never leaves your device. See our privacy policy for full details.
What is free and what costs money?
The free report gives your overall Vastu score, a colour-coded zone overlay, and specific remedies for up to three defected zones — no login required. A one-time ₹99 full report unlocks remedies for every defected zone, general remedies for OK zones, room-by-room detail, and a downloadable PDF.
Do I need to know Vastu to use it?
Not at all. The tool guides you through each step and explains every result in plain language. Our glossary and guides are there if you want to go deeper.
How accurate is the analysis?
The engine uses the classical 16-zone compass with 32-pada precision — the same system traditional experts use — rather than a simplified four-direction shortcut. Accuracy depends on you setting the north direction and room positions correctly, both of which you control.
Still have a question?
The fastest way to get answers about your own home is to run a free Vastu check — or reach out and we'll help.