{"id":2539,"date":"2025-05-03T21:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/?p=2539"},"modified":"2025-05-03T21:45:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T16:15:02","slug":"q-some-buddhist-rock-cut-caves-are-called-chaityas-while-the-others-are-called-viharas-what-is-the-difference-between-the-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/upsc\/q-some-buddhist-rock-cut-caves-are-called-chaityas-while-the-others-are-called-viharas-what-is-the-difference-between-the-two","title":{"rendered":"Q. Some Buddhist rock-cut caves are called Chaityas, while the others are called Viharas. What is the difference between the two?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list mcq\">\n<li>Vihara is a place of worship, while Chaitya is the dwelling place of the monks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chaitya is a place of worship, while Vihara is the dwelling place of the monks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chaitya is the stupa at the far end of the cave, while Vihara is the hall axial to it<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is no material difference between the two<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Answer: (b) Chaitya is a place of worship, while Vihara is the dwelling place of the monks<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"notes-hd-6815955a65be4\">Notes:<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In Buddhist rock-cut architecture,\u00a0<strong>Chaityas are prayer halls or places of worship, often containing a stupa<\/strong>, while\u00a0<strong>Viharas are monasteries or dwelling places for Buddhist monks<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chaityas:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Serve as\u00a0<strong>places of worship and assembly,<\/strong>\u00a0often featuring a stupa (a dome-shaped structure) at one end.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are essentially\u00a0<strong>sacred halls for congregational worship<\/strong>\u00a0by both monks and the general public.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Examples include the chaitya halls at\u00a0<strong>Ajanta, Pitalkhora, and Bhaja.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apsidal vault roof chaitya halls are common.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Viharas:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Function as\u00a0<strong>monasteries or dwelling places\u00a0<\/strong>for Buddhist monks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are where monks would\u00a0<strong>live, study, and meditate.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Viharas are strategically located\u00a0<strong>near trade routes\u00a0<\/strong>to allow monks to receive food donations from visiting traders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Answer: (b) Chaitya is a place of worship, while Vihara is the dwelling place of the monks Notes:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[40,43],"years":[60],"class_list":["post-2539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-upsc","category-prelims","tag-ancient-history","tag-art-and-culture","years-60"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":1,"label":"UPSC"},{"value":3,"label":"Prelims"}],"post_tag":[{"value":40,"label":"Ancient 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