vihara, early type of Buddhist monastery consisting of an open court surrounded by open cells accessible through an entrance porch. The viharas in India were originally constructed to shelter the monks during the rainy season, when it became difficult for them to lead the wanderer’s life. They took on a sacred character when small stupas (housing sacred relics) and images of the Buddha were installed in the central court.
A clear idea of their plan can be obtained from examples in western India, where the viharas were often excavated into the rock cliffs. This tradition of rock-cut structures spread along the trade routes of Central Asia (as at Bamiyan, Afghanistan), leaving many splendid monuments rich in sculpture and painting (the statues in Afghanistan were destroyed in 2001 by the country’s ruling Taliban).
As the communities of monks grew, great monastic establishments (mahaviharas, “great viharas”) developed that consisted of clusters of viharas and associated stupas and temples. Renowned centres of learning, or universities, grew up at Nalanda, in present-day Bihar state, during the 5th to 12th centuries and at Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, in the 3rd–4th centuries.