Buddhist Vihara as Institution of the Tai Communities: A Study of Assam, India

Vihara generally means a Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery for Buddhist renunciates. The concept is ancient and in early Pali texts, it meant any arrangement of space or facilities for dwellers. The term evolved into an architectural concept wherein it refers to quarters for monks or vikkhus with an open shared space in Buddhism. The Tai communities of Assam have also their own organization for the practice of their religion, Buddhism. They maintain a systematic infrastructure so far as their religious beliefs and practices are concerned. This organization is called vihara or kyong in the Tai language. It is also called bapuchang in Assamese used by them. In other words, viharas are central to every Buddhist community as far as the practice of their faith is concerned. It is a place for religious, cultural, spiritual and educational development of the Buddhist communities. The paper aims at focusing on the significance of Buddhist viharas, specially about the viharas of Assam, India.