By Swami Harshananda
Śālā literally means ‘shed’.
Śālā is a shed built for the performance of Vedic sacrifices. It is built to the west of mahāvedi having its beams in the easterly direction. Hence it is also called prācīnavaiṅśa.[1]
It is a quadrangular shed measuring 20 x 10 aratnis.[2] There are four doors in the four cardinal directions and also windows at the corners. The shed is covered and enclosed with mat. A room for boiling milk and a hut for the sacrificer’s wife[3] are also built around it. Inside the śālā, three fires are lighted. Hence the name agniśālā also.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore