Does Vastu work in Trinidad and Tobago?
Yes. Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Trinidad as in India, so its guidance applies to a house in Chaguanas as much as one in Delhi. Hindus are about 18% of the population (2011 census), and Divali is a national holiday. The number to get right here is the compass: it points about 16° west of true north across both islands, a larger gap than in most countries VastuIQ covers. The islands also lie in the tropics, so the midday sun is on the north side of the sky for part of the year; the report shows that as a measured fact, not a Vastu rule.
What 16° does to a Vastu reading
A phone compass points to magnetic north, and so does any north arrow drawn from a compass reading on site. In Chaguanas that is about 15.7° west of true north, the direction the classical texts mean. Each of the eight Vastu zones is 45° wide, so a reading near the edge of a zone lands in the wrong one. Four examples:
| Compass reads | Zone by compass | True direction | True zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30° | North-East | 15° | North |
| 120° | South-East | 105° | East |
| 210° | South-West | 195° | South |
| 300° | North-West | 285° | West |
So a kitchen your compass puts in the south-east may truly stand in the east, and a door your compass reads as north-east may really face north. VastuIQ corrects every reading for your town before anything is scored, using the World Magnetic Model.
Trinidad and Tobago homes, read correctly
The report uses the names on your plan and reads them the way a home here is built:
A gallery (front porch or veranda) is read as an outdoor area: on the confirm screen, choose Outdoor area for it. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
Upload each level as its own floor. A downstairs apartment you rent out is a separate home: check it on its own, with its own outline and door.
Read as a prayer space. Traditionally best: North-East (Ishanya), traditionally the most sacred zone. Jhandi flags in the yard stand outside the house and are not scored.
Both are read as kitchens, each by its own direction. Traditionally best for cooking: South-East, the zone traditionally linked with Agni (fire). North-West is the usual second choice.
Read as parking. Traditionally best: North-West, traditionally the zone of movement (Vayu). South-East is also acceptable.
Read as the main bedroom. Traditionally best: South-West, traditionally the zone of earth and stability, for the head of the household.
The tropical sun over a Trinidad home
Classical Vastu was written in India, where the midday sun is in the south for most of the year. Trinidad and Tobago lies about 10–11° north of the equator, so the midday sun is high all year and swings to the north side of the sky from about mid-April to late August. In Chaguanas it stands about 77° above the horizon in June, to the north, and about 56° in December, to the south; daylight runs from about 11.5 to 12.7 hours.
VastuIQ keeps the classical directions here, because Trinidad and Tobago is north of the equator, and shows the sun facts for your address beside the Vastu reading. In this climate the west-facing rooms take the hottest afternoon sun, and an open, airy north and east, which classical Vastu also asks for, helps keep a house cool.
Building a house in Trinidad?
Vastu is simplest to follow before construction. Upload the architect's or draughtsman's drawing of each floor, set north from the site plan or a map of the lot, and confirm the rooms: the free score shows where the kitchen, the master bedroom, the staircase and the prayer room sit by tradition while they can still be moved on paper. Compare two or three layouts side by side before the plans go to the Town and Country Planning Division.
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 Trinidad and Tobago
Across Trinidad and Tobago a compass points about 15½–16° west of true north, almost the same from Point Fortin to Scarborough. Your score uses the exact figure for your own town.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Scarborough, Tobago | 15.8° west | 11.5 – 12.8 h |
| Diego Martin, Diego Martin | 15.6° west | 11.5 – 12.8 h |
| Port of Spain, Port of Spain | 15.6° west | 11.5 – 12.8 h |
| San Juan, San Juan-Laventille | 15.6° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| St. Augustine, Tunapuna-Piarco | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Arima, Arima | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Sangre Grande, Sangre Grande | 15.8° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Chaguanas, Chaguanas | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Cunupia, Chaguanas | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Couva, Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| San Fernando, San Fernando | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Marabella, San Fernando | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Princes Town, Princes Town | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Debe, Penal-Debe | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Penal, Penal-Debe | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Siparia, Siparia | 15.7° west | 11.5 – 12.7 h |
| Point Fortin, Point Fortin | 15.6° west | 11.5 – 12.7 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 Trinidad and Tobago: questions people ask
Does Vastu work in Trinidad and Tobago?
Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Trinidad and Tobago as in India, so its room-by-direction guidance can be applied to a home here. What matters most is correcting the compass, which points about 16° west of true north, and reading local spaces such as the gallery properly. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
Why does my compass need correcting in Trinidad?
Because magnetic north and true north are far apart here: about 16° west in Chaguanas, 16° west in Port of Spain, 16° west in San Fernando and 16° west in Scarborough (World Magnetic Model). Vastu uses true north. A gap of 16° moves any wall or door near the edge of a zone into the next one, so VastuIQ corrects every reading for your town.
Is a west-facing house bad for Vastu?
No. Tradition favours north- and east-facing entrances, but where the front door sits on its wall (its pada) and how the rooms are placed matter more than the facing alone. Separately from Vastu, a west-facing front takes the strongest afternoon sun in Trinidad, so shade on that side helps comfort.
How does Vastu treat a gallery?
A gallery is read as an outdoor area, like a veranda. Tradition prefers open space and verandas to the north and east, so a gallery on those sides fits well. You can set how any space is read on the confirm screen.
I rent out the downstairs. How do I check the house?
Check the part your family lives in as your home, with its own outline and front door. The downstairs apartment is a separate home and can be checked on its own.
Can I compare houses or plans?
Yes. Use Compare 2–3 homes: the side-by-side comparison is free, and Home Buyer Compare (US$79, about TT$536) adds a PDF that ranks them 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.