At a glance:

The placement of the main door is very important. The four important zones for placing a main door beginning from East are l)Indra 2)Brhatakshata 3)Kusumadanta and 4)Bhallata respectively.

Divide each side into nine parts. The exalted zone would be the fourth from your right as you face the building. Avoid doors in the middle of a building.

We have to first decide on the placement of the main door {Mahadwara or Mooladwara in Sanskrit). The following diagrams show the most favourable or exalted positions for the main door. Each side of the house is divided into nine parts.

On the east, the second, third and fourth parts which are assigned to Parjanya, Jayanta and Indra respectively are the exalted zones. The results attributed by Brihat Samhita are:

Parjanya (2) : Birth of daughters
Jayanta (3)  : Financial soundness
Indra (4)      : Royal favour

On the south, the fourth part assigned to Brihatakshata is the exalted zone.

Result attributed by Brihat Samhita is increase of food and children.

On the West, the exalted zones are the fourth and fifth parts corresponding to the Kusumadanta and Varuna respectively.

Brihat Samhita attributes the following results.

Kusumadanta (4) Prosperity of sons and increase of wealth.

Varuna (5) Increase of wealth.

On the North, the third, fourth and fifth parts represented by Mukhya, Bhallata and Soma respectively are said to be ideal for main doors.

Brihat Samhita attributes the following results:

Mukhya (3)                : Increase of wealth and birth of sons.

Bhallata (4)                : Possession of all virtues.

Soma(5)                    : Begetting of children and wealth.

Ideally the main building can have door on all the four sides in the fourth exalted zone. In fact Mayamata and Samarangana Sutradhara specifically recommend the location of the door in the Mahendra (Indra), Brihatakshata, Kusumadanta and Bhallata.

The fifth grid for door shown in the north and west directions are recommended for temples and other religious places.

The consolidated diagram on the previous page shows the recommended position of the main door.
As we can see from the above, the ancients never placed the main door by whim and fancy.

The main door has to be the biggest of all doors. Manasara suggests that the height of a door has to be atleast twice its width. Brihat Samhita and Visvakarma Prakasha prescribe a height thrice the width of the door.

The main door has to be attractive, solid and massive. Mayamata suggests that the main door can be strengthened with the help of various metals.

How wonderful that the ancients foresaw the need for soM security in the 21st century!

Tne main door can be decorated_by the following:

1)  Theiamily deityTKuladevata) - the image being less than one Hasta (or cubit equal to 18″)
2)  The Goddess of Wealth (Lakshmi) - seated on a lotus and being bathed by elephants.
3) Cow and calf ornamented by flower garlands.
4)  The sacred mystic mantra Om or the occult symbol Swastika. This can be fixed on the main door at the normal vision height.

It is always advisable to have a sill or threshold not only for the main door but also the other doors. The reason could be that the threshold acts as a block for insects, etc. coming from the outside. The threshold can perhaps also regulate the powerful ground energies into the building and its various rooms.

Now, how many frames should the door have ?

The ancient classical work Samarangana Sutradhara does not recommend more than five frames (shakas) for a door.

The total frames can include the fifth horizontal frame (Nandini) to give us a ventilator at the top of the door.
A main door in the middle of the house, residential or commercial jsjiormally not recommended.

Such doors are recommended only for places of worship.

A verse from Samarangana Sutradhara says that a door in the middle indicates ruin of the family.

A flight of steps is normally recommended for the main door.

Most classical works stress on doors with two (leaves) shutters but do not prohibit doors with single leaves.

Manasara recommends the right leaf to be wider in breadth and the left leaf less by one, two or three angulas.

This means that the right leaf should be_widgr thantheleft leaf by three-fourths of anjLncha__pne and a half inches or and a quarter inches