vihāra

vihāra (Skt.; Pāli). Term meaning literally ‘dwelling’, but associated particularly with a Buddhist monastery. Originally, when monks and nuns used to wander through the countryside, settling down only during the rainy season, the term was used to designate an individual hut within the rainy season retreat. Later, with the establishment of permanent dwellings for the monks, the term came to indicate an entire monastery. For this reason, it is customary to refer to monasteries by this generic term, although in some countries, such as Thailand, it is reserved for a shrinehall. In the early period, monks of differing doctrinal affiliations lived side by side in the same vihāra. This would typically comprise individual cells arranged around a central courtyard very often enclosing a railed Bodhi Tree, a shrine room, and an ambulatory. As times changed, and the needs of the Saṃgha began to reflect growing institutionalization, some vihāras became enormously large, complex, and wealthy units with elaborate administrative hierarchies. Some, like Nālandā and Somapuri, developed into universities with many thousands of resident students. The modern Indian state of Bihar takes its name from the fact that Buddhist monasteries were abundant in the region.