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Shilpa Shastras (Sanskrit: śilpa śāstra, also anglicized as silpa sastra) is an umbrella term for numerous Hindu texts that describe manual arts, the standards for religious Hindu iconography, prescribing among other things, the proportions of a sculptured figure, as well as rules of Hindu architecture.[1]
Sixty-four such arts or crafts, sometimes called bāhya-kalā "external or practical arts", are traditionally enumerated, including carpentry, architecture, jewellery, farriery, acting, dancing, music, medicine, poetry etc., besides sixty-four abhyantara-kalā or "secret arts"' which include mostly "erotic arts" such as kissing, embracing, etc. (Monier-Williams s.v. śilpa).
While the fields are related, Shilpa Shastras explicitly deal with sculpture - forming statues, icons, stone murals, etc. Vastu Shastra are concerned primarily with building architecture - building houses, forts, temples, apartments, etc.
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