Matsya Purana — Design and Splendour of Tripura: Maya’s Threefold Moving Fortress, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

हेमराजतलोहाद्यमणिरत्नाञ्जनाङ्किताः प्राकारास्त्रिपुरे तस्मिन् गिरिप्राकारसंनिभाः //

Transliteration

hemarājatalohādyamaṇiratnāñjanāṅkitāḥ prākārāstripure tasmin giriprākārasaṃnibhāḥ //

Translation

ആ ത്രിപുരയിൽ പ്രാകാരങ്ങൾ സ്വർണം, വെള്ളി, ഇരുമ്പ് മുതലായ ലോഹങ്ങളാലും, മണിരത്നങ്ങളാലും അഞ്ജനസദൃശമായ കറുത്ത കല്ലാലും പതിപ്പിച്ച് അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരുന്നു; അവ പർവ്വതപ്രാകാരങ്ങളെപ്പോലെ തോന്നി.

Word by Word

• hema: gold

• rājata: silver

• loha-ādi: iron and other metals

• maṇi: precious stone

• ratna: jewel

• añjana: collyrium/black mineral (dark inlay/stone)

• aṅkitāḥ: marked, inlaid, ornamented

• prākārāḥ: ramparts, enclosing walls

• tripure: in Tripura

• tasmin: in that (city)

• giri-prākāra: a mountain’s encircling wall/natural rampart

• saṃnibhāḥ: resembling, comparable to

Speaker

• Suta Goswami (narrating the Matsya Purana’s account)

Entities Mentioned

• Tripura
• Prākāra (ramparts)
• Hema (gold)
• Rājata (silver)
• Maṇi-ratna (gems)

Tags

• Vastu Shastra
• Puranic city-planning
• Tripura
• Fortifications
• Temple architecture rules

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse is not about Pralaya; it focuses on material grandeur and defensive architecture—describing Tripura’s ramparts as mountain-like and richly inlaid.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It implies a ruler’s duty to establish secure, well-fortified settlements; strong prākāras symbolize protection, order, and the safeguarding of citizens and sacred spaces.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Architecturally, it highlights the prākāra (enclosure wall) as a major design element, emphasizing durable materials, ornamented inlay, and a ‘mountain-like’ scale—an ideal of imposing, protective boundaries in Puranic Vastu.