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The Vihara is a unique Happiness building of the Mauryan civilization in Civilization VII.
- Base yields:
- +3
Happiness.
- +3
- Adjacency:
Strategy[]
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Best placed next to a mountain, or two.
Civilopedia entry[]
The rainy season poses a special problem for Buddhist monks. Prohibited from taking life, monks had to exercise special caution navigating paths and avoid stepping on the insects that proliferated during this time of year. With this in mind, many Theravada Buddhist monks retreated to a special hall – a vihara – during the rains. At least, this is the theological interpretation. Practically, rain retreats and special quarters for monks allowed the monastic community to persist, cultivate discipline (or reinforce orthodoxy), and focus on the individual education of monks and novices. Even in the dry season, viharas are places of communal gathering for Buddhist monks, where a lot of the business of the monastery takes place.
During the Maurya period, viharas could be rest stops for travelers, even those of non-religious orientations. But under Ashoka, these more pleasure-oriented centers gave way to explicitly religious sites, often carved directly into the rock, as at Ellora. Ashoka even heavily promoted the gifts of goods and land to such religious viharas over the years.