Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods) c13.s2.1

c13.s2.1

THE rock-cut viharas, or monastic "houses" of the Hinayana Buddhist order, although not of such architectural importance as the chaitya halls or temples described in the previous chapter, contain many significant features. Among other interesting facts, their planning and treatment generally throw considerable light on the system which prevailed in these retreats, and reveal the manner in which the practical requirements of the community were provided for. In their broad aspect they also demonstrate that the Buddhist monachism of India had much in common with the monastic establishments of Europe, a condition due to the similarity in their aims. For instance the Buddhist monks, as did their Cistercian brethren, planted the houses of their order in wild and desolate places, for apparently the same reasons that they might conduct their observances undisturbed by the distractions of any human environment. In a like manner their habitations had a similar beginning, for just as the cloister with its simple lean-to roof on stone pillars was the first step in the construction of the Benedictine monastery, so the early Buddhist vihara consisted of an open court, corresponding to the cloister-garth, enclosed also by a lean-to roof propped up by wooden posts. Then, in connection with the former were developed the "carralls" or small study-rooms, whereas in the latter these took the form of cells leading out of the central court. In the course of time the full complement of each type of monastery, whether European or Buddhist, was composed of a dormitory, a common room, a refectory or frater, a kitchen with other service amenities, and, in the case of the former a fish pond, and the latter a tank for the water supply. As a proof of the fact that both communities occasionally broke away from the rigid discipline of their order to indulge in a little relaxation, certain sinkings in the shape of small cups in the stone benches in the one instance, and in the rock flooring in the other, indicate that the Benedictines in their spare moments played some such game as Nine Men's Morris, and the Buddhists the national Indian game of *pachisi*. Finally, and in the same way that, after the Dissolution, the monasteries in England lay in ruins, so the rock-cut viharas on the decline of the Buddhist faith were completely deserted and left to crumble into decay; where at one time these numerous halls pulsated with spiritual life, they have now for centuries been the home of the jackal and the bat.