Sacred Shelters: Hindu Temple Architecture as Disaster Resilience Infrastructure Through Vāstu Vijñānam

Hindu temple architecture, particularly through the lens of Vāstu Vijñānam, demonstrates remarkable disaster resilience, outperforming modern structures during earthquakes, floods, and cyclones. This study reveals that traditional temples incorporate systematic strategies for hazard mitigation, including geometric regularity, hierarchical mass distribution, layered foundations, friction-based masonry joinery, and material selection optimized for durability. Empirical evidence from events like the 2013 Kedarnath disaster and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami supports these findings, showing that temples not only withstand extreme conditions but also serve as temporary refuges. The research synthesizes these principles into a framework for contemporary disaster-resilient design, highlighting the potential of traditional architectural knowledge in modern resilience planning.

Babu, J. K., Rambabu, P. V., & Sri Kruti, G. (2026). Sacred Shelters: Hindu Temple Architecture as Disaster Resilience Infrastructure Through Vāstu Vijñānam. Institute of Natural Sciences and Applied Technology. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.19359899