India history and geography

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

Wiharaya:—(wihara/vihara) A Buddhist temple (from the Sanskrit vi-hri to walk about), originally the hall where the Buddhist priests took their morning walk; afterwards these halls were used as temples and sometimes became the centre of a whole monastic establishment. The word Wihara or Vihara is now used only to designate a building dedicated to the memory of Gautama Buddha, and set apart for the daily offering of flowers, and of food given in charity. To the Wihara proper there has been added in modern times an image-house for figures of Buddha in the three attitudes standing as the law-giver, sitting in meditation, reclining in the eternal repose of unbroken peace and happiness ; and these figures now form prominent objects in every Wihara, and it is before these figures that pious Buddhists make their offerings of rice, flowers, money, etc. It should not be confounded with the “ Pansala ” which signifies the monastic buildings as distinguished from the temple or place of worship around which they are clustered.

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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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