Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c12.9

c12.9

The other architectural formation in these rock-cut retreats was the monastery proper, an arrangement of apartments for the accommodation of the monks, and known as a *vihara*. A typical vihara consisted of a square central hall entered by a doorway, in front of which was a vestibule, verandah, or portico. Out of the central hall doorways opened into square cells carried still further into the rock, each of which was the abode of one of the brotherhood. The original plan was for one of these viharas to be situated close to the chaitya hall, but as the priestly community increased, more cells were required to be excavated along the cliff side. These provided quarters for the ordinary members of the community, but there were others of a superior rank who felt it more seemly to live in chambers separated from the main group, of which an example is vihara number 4 at Karli. In addition there were those rare individuals on a still higher plane who claimed to be Arhats or Bodhisattvas, each of whom on account of his status lived alone in a single cell by itself, examples of which may also be seen at Karli. Communication between all these various forms of abode was maintained, where necessary by flights of steps, but in some of the larger monastic establishments, the cells are so numerous that the cliff side is honeycombed with them, recalling the nesting burrows of birds such as swifts in a disused quarry.