Does Vastu work in Sri Lanka?
Yes. Vastu, often written Vasthu in Sri Lanka, has influenced house planning on the island since ancient times, as published research on Sri Lankan house planning has traced. It is organised around directions, which are the same in Colombo as in Chennai. The compass is close to true north here (about 2° west in Colombo), so that correction is small. What makes Sri Lanka different is the sun: the island lies about 6–10° north of the equator, so the midday sun is high all year and on the north side of the sky for about five months.
Courtyard houses and the open centre
Older houses across the island, from walauwa manor houses in the south to traditional homes in Jaffna, are often built around an open central courtyard (meda midula in Sinhala, muttram in Tamil). Classical Vastu asks for the centre of a home, the Brahmasthan, to be kept open, light and free of toilets, stairs and heavy walls. A courtyard house already does that. In a newer house, a double-height hall or a skylight at the centre can play the same part.
Sri Lankan 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 space, whether it holds a Hindu shrine or a Buddha image. Traditionally best: North-East (Ishanya), traditionally the most sacred zone.
In Sri Lankan plans the "pantry" is often a dining area next to the kitchen. On the confirm screen, choose Dining for it if that is how you use it.
Read as a staff bedroom. Traditionally best: North-West, the zone traditionally linked with Vayu (air) and movement.
Read as living rooms. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
Read as outdoor areas; an open central courtyard is the open centre (Brahmasthan) that Vastu asks for. Traditionally best for verandahs: North, North-East or East.
Read by its own direction. Traditionally best for cooking: South-East, the zone traditionally linked with Agni (fire). North-West is the usual second choice.
The sun and the two monsoons
Sri Lanka lies close to the equator. In Colombo the midday sun is about 60° above the horizon in December, to the south, and about 73° in June, to the north; it is on the north side of the sky for about 152 days a year. Daylight stays between about 11.7 and 12.5 hours.
The island also has two monsoons, the south-west monsoon from about May to September and the north-east monsoon from about December to February, so the side of the house that takes the rain changes with the season. VastuIQ keeps the classical directions, because Sri Lanka is north of the equator, and shows the sun facts for your address as measurements beside the Vastu reading.
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.
Apartments in Colombo
For an apartment in Colombo, Wellawatte, Dehiwala or Rajagiriya, mark the outline of your own unit; its front door is your apartment door, not the lobby. The management corporation and its by-laws cover the outside and the common areas, so choose Own it (building rules) in the tool: the report leads with fixes inside the home and marks anything structural as "If renovating".
Compass vs true north in Sri Lanka
Across Sri Lanka a compass points about 1½–2° west of true north. Your score uses the exact figure for your own town.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Jaffna, Northern Province | 1.5° west | 11.6 – 12.7 h |
| Vavuniya, Northern Province | 1.6° west | 11.6 – 12.6 h |
| Trincomalee, Eastern Province | 1.6° west | 11.6 – 12.6 h |
| Anuradhapura, North Central Province | 1.7° west | 11.6 – 12.6 h |
| Batticaloa, Eastern Province | 1.7° west | 11.7 – 12.6 h |
| Kurunegala, North Western Province | 1.8° west | 11.7 – 12.6 h |
| Kandy, Central Province | 1.8° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Negombo, Western Province | 1.9° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Colombo, Western Province | 1.9° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Wellawatte, Western Province | 1.9° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Western Province | 1.9° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Moratuwa, Western Province | 1.9° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Nuwara Eliya, Central Province | 1.8° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province | 1.9° west | 11.7 – 12.5 h |
| Galle, Southern Province | 2.0° west | 11.8 – 12.5 h |
| Matara, Southern Province | 2.0° west | 11.8 – 12.5 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 Sri Lanka: questions people ask
Does Vastu work in Sri Lanka?
Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Sri Lanka as in India, so its room-by-direction guidance can be applied to a Sri Lankan house or apartment. What matters is setting north correctly on the plan and reading local rooms properly. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
Is Vasthu the same as Vastu?
Yes. Vasthu is the spelling often used in Sri Lanka; Vastu or Vaastu are other spellings of the same Sanskrit word for a dwelling and the tradition of planning it.
Do I need to correct my compass for Vastu in Sri Lanka?
Only slightly: about 2° west in Colombo, 2° west in Kandy, 2° west in Galle, 2° west in Trincomalee and 2° west in Jaffna (World Magnetic Model). That rarely moves a room into the next zone, but VastuIQ still corrects it.
Is a courtyard good for Vastu?
An open courtyard at the centre of the house fits Vastu well, because the classical texts ask for an open, light centre. Keep it uncluttered and free of heavy objects.
Can I check a house before I build it?
Yes. Upload the architect's drawing of each floor, set north from the site plan and confirm the rooms. To compare two or three layouts or houses, use Compare 2–3 homes: the comparison is free, and Home Buyer Compare (US$79, about LKR 26,185) adds a PDF that ranks them and includes the full report for the one you choose.
The sun is in the north part of the year here. Does Vastu change?
Sri Lanka is north of the equator, so VastuIQ keeps the classical directions. The midday sun is on the north side of the sky for about 152 days a year in Colombo; the report shows this as a measured sun fact beside the Vastu reading, not as a Vastu rule.
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.