Baudhayana Sulbasutra is a text which addresses the construction of Vedic altars for the performance of yajnas. The altars are prepared with the help of a rope – sulba – and hence they are called Sulbasutras. These sutras are presented in ten sub divisions. This appears as Chapter 30 in Baudhayana Srauta Sutra.
The construction of the square and other figures is
explained in Baudhayana Sulba Sutra. The merger of square and rectangles, and also the dimensions of the
area of a given square or rectangle, are given vividly. Similarly, conversion
of a square into a circle or vice versa has been explained in an easy way. The
altars for Adhana and Somayaga are given in a simple way.
Mahagnicayana is described in a descriptive manner. Arranging
bricks in a falcon syena citi (bird shape) is described in adherence to the Vedic
texts (Taittiriya Samhita). The other options of arranging the bricks in the
form of triangle, rhombus, circle, circle with handle and in the form of a turtle
are explained elaborately. The Sutras closely follow the order given in Tattiriya
Samhita. The only additional aspect is the arrangement of bricks in the form of
a turtle which has not been laid down in Taittiriya Samhita. Baudhayana, must
have borrowed this from some other Vedic recensions which are not extant today.
One peculiar feature, found in these sutras, is that the
major portion is devoted to the formulation of various cayanas (placing of bricks
in various forms). The methods handled by Baudhayana are more or less the same
methods applied by Apastamba and others. The language used is very simple,
though elaborate. The value of pi (the constant employed in computing the circumference
and the diameter of a circle) is also mentioned.