Vihara

An early architectural form, in which a
central courtyard was surrounded by a
series of small rooms. This was originally
a Buddhist architectural form, intended
to create a living space for the monks—
individual cells in the small rooms and a
750
Vidyapati
Ruins of Vijayanagar, capital of the Vijayanagar dynasty.
common area in the large center space.
The design was adapted into the earliest
forms of the Hindu temples, such as
those at Aihole.