Does Vastu work in Nepal?
Yes. Vastu Shastra belongs to the same tradition that shaped temples and houses across Nepal, where 81% of people are Hindu (2021 census), and the tradition is familiar to many families there. The compass is almost exactly on true north here (within about 1° across the country, 0° east in Kathmandu), so that correction is tiny. The real value is timing: if you are building, Vastu is easiest to follow on the naksha, before the walls go up.
Building a house: check the naksha first
In Nepal a house usually starts with a drawing: the naksha that the engineer prepares and the municipality approves before construction. That is the best moment for Vastu, because the kitchen, the puja kotha, the staircase and the toilets can still move on paper.
A photo or PDF of the naksha, one floor at a time, including a top floor or a roof room.
Use the north arrow on the site plan, or match the plot on a map.
Check how each room has been read and correct anything the plan reader missed.
Compare versions side by side before the drawing is final.
Structural design follows Nepal's National Building Code and your engineer's advice, which matters more than any layout rule in a country with earthquakes. The report never asks you to move a structural wall.
Kitchen and puja room on the top floor
Many houses in the Kathmandu Valley, following an older Newar custom, keep the kitchen and the puja room on the top floor, away from the street. VastuIQ reads every floor by direction, so a top-floor kitchen is scored like any other: the direction it faces within the house matters, not the floor it is on. If you are planning this layout, the report shows which corner of the top floor suits the kitchen and which suits the puja room.
Nepali homes, read correctly
The report uses the names on your plan and reads them the way a home here is built:
Read as a prayer room. Traditionally best: North-East (Ishanya), traditionally the most sacred zone.
Read by its own direction, on whichever floor it is. Traditionally best for cooking: South-East, the zone traditionally linked with Agni (fire). North-West is the usual second choice.
Read as a living room. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
The main bedroom is read as the main bedroom. Traditionally best: South-West, traditionally the zone of earth and stability, for the head of the household.
A roof terrace (kausi) and a balcony (bardali) are read as outdoor areas. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
Read by its position. Traditionally best: South, South-West or West. A staircase in the centre or north-east is traditionally discouraged; stairs are rarely moved, so the fixes below are the practical route.
The sun over a home in Nepal
Nepal lies a few degrees north of the Tropic of Cancer, so the midday sun is always to the south, but very high in summer. In Kathmandu it stands about 86° above the horizon in June, close to overhead, and about 39° in December; daylight runs from about 10.4 to 13.9 hours. A south-facing room gets the most winter sun, which is welcome on cold valley mornings. These are measurements shown beside the Vastu reading, not Vastu rules.
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.
Building at home while working abroad
If you are working in the Gulf, Malaysia, Korea or anywhere else and building a house in Nepal, you can check the naksha from where you are: choose the town where the house stands and its compass correction is applied. Share the free score with your family and your engineer at home. For the place you live in now, use the page for that country, such as Qatar, the UAE or Malaysia.
Compass vs true north in Nepal
Across Nepal a compass points within about 1° of true north. Your score still uses the exact figure for your town.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Dhangadhi, Sudurpashchim | 1.0° east | 10.3 – 14.0 h |
| Nepalgunj, Lumbini | 0.8° east | 10.4 – 13.9 h |
| Birendranagar, Karnali | 0.9° east | 10.3 – 14.0 h |
| Butwal, Lumbini | 0.6° east | 10.4 – 13.9 h |
| Pokhara, Gandaki | 0.6° east | 10.3 – 13.9 h |
| Bharatpur, Bagmati | 0.5° east | 10.4 – 13.9 h |
| Kathmandu, Bagmati | 0.4° east | 10.4 – 13.9 h |
| Budhanilkantha, Bagmati | 0.4° east | 10.4 – 13.9 h |
| Lalitpur, Bagmati | 0.4° east | 10.4 – 13.9 h |
| Bhaktapur, Bagmati | 0.4° east | 10.4 – 13.9 h |
| Hetauda, Bagmati | 0.4° east | 10.4 – 13.9 h |
| Birgunj, Madhesh | 0.4° east | 10.4 – 13.8 h |
| Janakpur, Madhesh | 0.3° east | 10.5 – 13.8 h |
| Dharan, Koshi | 0.1° east | 10.5 – 13.8 h |
| Biratnagar, Koshi | 0.1° east | 10.5 – 13.8 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
- Your top three issues
- True north correction for your city
- Every room scored, with no-cost and low-cost fixes
- Your floor plans with the zones at true north
- Centre, front door and pada
- 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
Prices are charged in US dollars and your bank converts them; local amounts are a guide.
Vastu in Nepal: questions people ask
Does VastuIQ work for a house in Nepal?
Yes. Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Nepal as in India, so its room-by-direction guidance applies to a Nepali house or flat. VastuIQ uses true north for your town and reads local rooms such as the puja kotha and the bhanchha. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
Can I check my naksha before construction starts?
Yes, and that is the best time. Upload each floor of the naksha, set north from the site plan and confirm the rooms. The free score takes a few minutes, so you can try two or three layouts before the drawing is submitted to the municipality.
Is a kitchen on the top floor acceptable in Vastu?
Vastu reads a room by its direction within the house, not by its floor. A top-floor kitchen in the south-east or the north-west of that floor reads well by tradition.
Do I need to correct my compass for Vastu in Nepal?
Hardly: about 0° east in Kathmandu, 1° east in Pokhara, 0° east in Biratnagar and 1° east in Dhangadhi (World Magnetic Model). The bigger risk is a naksha whose north arrow is missing or drawn by eye.
My plot is small and narrow. Can the house still follow Vastu?
Usually, in large part. On a narrow plot the outline is fixed, but the placement of the kitchen, the puja room, the bedrooms, the toilets and the staircase is not, and those carry most of the score. The report shows which changes help most.
How much does the full report cost in Nepal?
The free score is free. The full Home Vastu Report is US$39 (about NPR 5,921), charged in US dollars, and Home Buyer Compare for 2–3 homes or layouts is US$79 (about NPR 11,994). Your bank converts the amount.
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.