Does Vastu work in Indonesia?
Yes. Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Indonesia as in India, so its guidance applies to a house in Jakarta as much as to one in Chennai, and Indonesia's Indian families, from Tamil families in Medan to Sindhi families in Jakarta, have been here for generations. The compass is within about 1° of true north. Two things make Indonesia different. The equator runs through it, so Medan lies north of it while Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali lie south. And Bali has its own Hindu building tradition, Asta Kosala Kosali, which orients a home by the mountain and the sea rather than by the compass.
Do north and south swap in the Southern Hemisphere?
In India the midday sun is to the south. In Indonesia it is to the north for most of the year (in Jakarta, all but about 148 days around December, when it passes just south of overhead). Classical Vastu was written north of the equator, and there is no single agreed answer on what that means here. Practitioners take three views:
Directions are directions; a north-east kitchen means the same in Jakarta as in Delhi.
The midday sun is in the north in Indonesia, so the roles of north and south should swap.
Keep the directions but read light and warmth from the local sun.
What VastuIQ does: the score follows the classical directions. Beside any room where the flipped view would change the reading by 25 points or more, the report shows that reading too. For example, a kitchen in the north-east scores 5 classically; in the flipped view it would read as south-east, which scores 100. You see both and decide.
Bali: Asta Kosala Kosali, kaja and kelod
Balinese Hindus have their own tradition of building, Asta Kosala Kosali, which shares roots with Vastu but orients a home differently: by kaja, the direction of the mountains, and kelod, the direction of the sea, together with kangin (sunrise) and kauh (sunset). The family shrine, the sanggah or merajan, goes in the kaja-kangin corner, towards the mountain and the sunrise. Because kaja points to the island's mountains, it is roughly north in the south of Bali and roughly south in the north of the island.
VastuIQ gives a Vastu reading by compass direction only. In southern Bali, where kaja-kangin is roughly the north-east, the two traditions agree on the most sacred corner. In northern Bali they do not, and the report does not choose for you: follow your family's tradition and your undagi (traditional architect) for Asta Kosala Kosali.
Indonesian homes, read correctly
The report uses the names on your plan and reads them the way a home here is built:
Ruang tamu, ruang keluarga, dapur, ruang makan, kamar tidur, kamar tidur utama, kamar mandi, gudang, teras, taman, garasi and tangga are read as living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, bedroom, main bedroom, bathroom, storage, terrace, garden, garage and stairs.
A clean kitchen and a dirty kitchen are both read as kitchens, each by its own direction. Traditionally best: South-East, the zone traditionally linked with Agni (fire). North-West is the usual second choice.
The helper's room is read as a staff bedroom. Traditionally best: North-West, the zone traditionally linked with Vayu (air) and movement.
A pooja room, a musholla or a Balinese sanggah is read as a prayer space. Traditionally best by Vastu: North-East (Ishanya), traditionally the most sacred zone.
Read as outdoor areas. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
Read as parking. Traditionally best: North-West, traditionally the zone of movement (Vayu). South-East is also acceptable.
Owning a home in Indonesia
Most houses are bought in a housing estate (perumahan) or a cluster, where the developer's or the estate's rules may cover the front of the house, and many apartments are sold from the developer's plan. Foreigners usually hold a right of use (hak pakai) rather than freehold; check the current rules with a notary. Choose Own it (building rules) in the tool and the report leads with fixes inside the home.
New to Vastu? What it is, in brief
Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of architecture and home layout, set out in Sanskrit texts such as the Mayamata and the Manasara. It divides a home into eight directional zones around its centre and suggests which rooms and activities suit which zone. Many Indian families use it when they buy, build or arrange a home, and so do people of other backgrounds who are curious about how a home is laid out.
Kept the lightest and least cluttered part of the home; a good place for prayer or quiet.
The zone traditionally linked with Agni, fire, so it is the classical place for cooking.
Linked with weight and stability; tradition places the main bedroom and heavy storage here.
It is a cultural tradition, not a science, and it does not promise outcomes. VastuIQ shows what the classical texts recommend, measured accurately for your home and your city, and you decide what to do with it. Most of the report's fixes need no building work: they are about how rooms are used and arranged.
Compass vs true north in Indonesia
Across Java, Bali and Sumatra a compass points within about 1° of true north. Your score uses the exact figure for your own city.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Medan, North Sumatra | 0.2° west | 11.9 – 12.3 h |
| Batam, Riau Islands | 0.3° east | 12.1 – 12.2 h |
| Manado, North Sulawesi | 0.5° west | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Pekanbaru, Riau | 0.1° east | 12.1 – 12.2 h |
| Balikpapan, East Kalimantan | 0.1° east | 12.0 – 12.2 h |
| Jakarta, Jakarta | 0.7° east | 11.8 – 12.5 h |
| Kemang, Jakarta | 0.6° east | 11.8 – 12.5 h |
| South Tangerang, Banten | 0.6° east | 11.8 – 12.5 h |
| Bekasi, West Java | 0.7° east | 11.8 – 12.5 h |
| Bandung, West Java | 0.7° east | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Semarang, Central Java | 0.8° east | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Surabaya, East Java | 0.8° east | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Makassar, South Sulawesi | 0.4° east | 11.8 – 12.4 h |
| Denpasar, Bali | 0.8° east | 11.6 – 12.6 h |
| Ubud, Bali | 0.8° east | 11.6 – 12.6 h |
Calculated for 2026 with the World Magnetic Model WMM-2025 (NOAA / British Geological Survey) and NOAA solar equations. "East" means a compass points to the east of true north.
Check one home, or compare your shortlist
- Score out of 100 and its band
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- Every room scored, with no-cost and low-cost fixes
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- Action plan, 90-day plan and checklist
- Two or three homes side by side
- Which home fits Vastu best, and why
- Plus the full report for the home you choose
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Vastu in Indonesia: questions people ask
Does Vastu work in Indonesia?
Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Indonesia as in India, so its room-by-direction guidance can be applied to an Indonesian house or apartment. What matters is setting north correctly on the denah and reading the rooms properly. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
Jakarta is south of the equator. Does that change Vastu?
Practitioners disagree about homes south of the equator. Jakarta lies only about 6° south, so the midday sun is in the northern sky for most of the year but in the southern sky for about 148 days. VastuIQ scores the classical directions and shows the flipped reading beside any room where it would change the result a lot.
Is Asta Kosala Kosali the same as Vastu?
They are related but not the same. Both come from the same Indian roots, but Asta Kosala Kosali orients a Balinese home by the mountain (kaja) and the sea (kelod) rather than by the compass. VastuIQ gives a Vastu reading only.
Do I need to correct my compass for Vastu in Indonesia?
Hardly: about 1° east in Jakarta, 1° east in Surabaya, 0° west in Medan and 1° east in Denpasar (World Magnetic Model). The bigger risk is a denah whose north arrow is missing or wrong.
Can I upload a plan labelled in Indonesian?
Yes. Common labels such as ruang tamu, kamar tidur, dapur, kamar mandi, gudang and teras are understood. On the confirm screen you see how each room has been read and can change it. The report is in English.
Can I compare houses or apartments?
Yes. Use Compare 2–3 homes: the side-by-side comparison is free, and Home Buyer Compare (US$79, about Rp 1,425,397) adds a PDF that ranks the homes and includes the full report for the one you choose.
Vastu for homes in other countries
Written by Manoj Jangra, founder of VastuIQ. Last updated 20 October 2026.
Vastu Shastra is a traditional and cultural practice. VastuIQ reports are not engineering, legal, financial or medical advice and do not promise any outcome.