Question

In the Buddhist tradition, what were chaityas primarily used for?

• A. Monastic residences
• B. Prayer halls
• C. Storage of scriptures
• D. Meditation caves

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Prayer halls

- Chaityas served as prayer halls in the Buddhist tradition and were constructed near viharas for congregational worship. - These structures typically enshrined a stupa, and later, they also housed images of the Buddha. - The earliest surviving chaityas date back to the late first millennium BCE. - Chaityas were built across the country, either with bricks or carved from rock. However, it is believed that wooden chaityas existed even earlier. - The largest excavated brick chaitya hall is located at Guntapalli in Seemandhra. - Some of the finest rock-cut chaityas can be found at Bhaja and Karle along the Western Ghats in Maharashtra.