India history and geography

Source: archive.org: Glossary of Sinhalese Folk Terms appearing in the Service Tenure Register

Waskalaya:—The season in which priests take up a fixed residence, devoting their time to the public reading and expounding of Bana. It falls between the months of July and October. Sometimes a resident priest is placed in Was in his own Pansala, which means that he is to be fed with dan provided by the tenantry during the season of Was. The practice originated in the command of Buddha that his disciples should travel about during the dry season as mendicant monks, but that in the rainy season they should take shelter in leaf huts. The modern priests now desert their substantially built monasteries to take up their residence for the Was-lit: rainy season-in temporary buildings. The object of the original institution was to secure attention during part of the year to the persons living near the monastery—in fact that for this period the monks should serve as parish priests.

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The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

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Full-text: Bana-maduwa.

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