Torans by Purpose: Flower, Stone, Treasury and Gem Torans
Torans are chosen by the purpose and work of the place: flower torans for a king-like life and respect, stone torans for palaces, forts and soldiers, a special toran for treasuries and finance work, and gem (ratna) torans for the home temple.
Old city gates, such as those in Jaipur, are stone torans; under nagar vastu a city gate built at the right place gave good results to every resident. A gem toran over the home temple multiplies its energy.
The North belongs to Mercury. Its interior uses green with blue, ivory and white, Kota stone, green marble or limestone, emerald-family minerals, flowers and fragrance, Kuber and water pictures, a bandanwar, clay artifacts and a small library.
For a main door on a wrong South pada, hang a toran of stones or gems, a toran of copper and wood, or a red triangular swastik bandhanwar put up on a Saturday or Tuesday.
Mahendra (Indra), the fourth devta of the East, is the king, sustainer and administrator who brings the energy of the planets, Sun, Moon and 27 nakshatras to earth and spreads it evenly through the house. It gives control over the mind and senses, right decisions, government support, contacts, name and fame.
The North-West is the seat of the Moon and of Vayu (air). Its interior uses white and ivory, pearls, white stone and a little white marble, pictures of water creatures and the full Moon, and moon-loving plants.
The South-West is the zone of Rahu-Ketu. Its interior uses golden yellow, white or ivory, black stone, blue sapphire, amethyst and iron, a Nandi, awards and certificates, mountain and village sceneries, and tall outdoor trees.
For a defective East door, hang a toran of wood and brass or of metal with gems, or a green square swastik bandhanwar made on leaves or another base, put up on a Monday.
The main door is the door of fortune: like the two nostrils it draws nature-given positive energy into the whole house and lets negative energy out. Its two shutters stand for ida and pingala, the two breaths that alternate roughly every hour.
Design the main door like a face: two shutters as the nostrils, two small niches as the eyes, two jharokhas as the ears, an Om or swastik as the tilak, and the threshold and upper frame as the lips. Ancient texts say such decoration multiplies the power of the main door many times.
Divide the 360 degrees around the centre of the house into 32 padas of 11.25 degrees each, one for each of the 32 guardian devtas of the outer ring, named E1 to E8, S1 to S8, W1 to W8 and N1 to N8. The pada in which the main door falls tells its result.
In the East, E3 is the best door with abundant wealth and E4 brings government support and respect, while E5 suits administrators only. E1, E6, E7 and E8 should not hold the main door.
In the South only S4 (Grihakshat) gives happiness, peace, prosperity and business profit. S2, S3, S5, S6, S7 (the debt door) and S8 bring lack of children, servitude, suffering, selfishness, debt and disease.
In the West, W4 (Pushpadant) showers wealth and W5 (Varun) also gives wealth, while W1, W2, W3, W6, W7 and W8 bring short life, overspending, loss of money, government trouble, disease and a destructive mind.
In the North, N3 brings sons and wealth, N4 (Bhallat) is the best of all 32 doors with windfall wealth, and N5 gives wealth with dharma and fame. N1, N2, N6, N7 and N8 bring suffering, enemies, family stress, faults in women and poverty.
Large business doors and shop shutters often span two to four padas. When the favourable pada, for example S4, is fully included and open, the door gives the results of that pada.