A Dharmasala or a house of fire , or house with fire , is the name given to a place where people, especially pilgrims, can rest on a journey . It is a type of building found in Angkorian complexes constructed during the reign of late 12th-century monarch Jayavarman VII and still found in Preah Khan , Ta Prohm and Banteay Chhmar .
23-424: The Sanskrit name of the dharmasala can only translate as the house of fire . A House of Fire has thick brick or stone walls, a tower at the west end and south-facing windows. Building orientation follows the position of the road rather than the typical east–west cardinal alignment of Angkorian architecture. The average size of a dharmaçala was recorded as 14–15 m in length and 4–5 m in width. In modern times,
46-461: A swimming pool may have sufficient character and charm to be called a pavilion. By contrast, a free-standing pavilion can also be a far larger building such as the Royal Pavilion at Brighton , which is in fact a large Indian-style palace; however, like its smaller namesakes, the common factor is that it was built for pleasure and relaxation. A sports pavilion is usually a building adjacent to
69-471: A 'provincial main pavilion'). In Thailand, they have many purposes similar to the roadside pavilions of Asoka . In rural areas, travelers can use them to rest and reflect. These salas are called sala asai . One at the roadside is a sala rim thanon (ศาลาริมถนน) and may be used as a bus stop. If on a riverbank or canal at a landing-place for watercraft, they are called sala tha nam (ศาลาท่าน้ำ 'water pier pavilions'). The term "sala" earliest known mention
92-458: A butterfly's spread wings. The word is from the early 13c., paviloun , "large, stately tent raised on posts and used as a movable habitation," from Old French paveillon "large tent; butterfly" (12c.), from Latin papilionem (nominative papilio ) "butterfly, moth," in Medieval Latin "tent" (see papillon); the type of tent was so called on its resemblance to wings. Meaning "open building in
115-468: A park, etc., used for shelter or entertainment" is attested from 1680s. Sense of "small or moderate-sized building, isolated from but dependent on a larger or principal building" (as in a hospital) is by 1858. Pavilions may be small garden outbuildings, similar to a summer house or a kiosk ; small rooms on the roof of a large house, reached only via the roof (rather than by internal stairs) may also be called pavilions. These were particularly popular up to
138-505: A rectangular block, or only connected to the main block by a thin section of building. The two 18th-century English country houses of Houghton Hall and Holkham Hall illustrate these different approaches in turn. In the Place des Vosges (1605–1612), Paris, twin pavilions mark the centers of the north and south sides of the square. They are named the Pavillon du Roi (“king’s pavilion”) and
161-409: A sports ground used for changing clothes and often partaking of refreshments. Often it has a verandah to provide protection from the sun for spectators. In cricket grounds , as at Lord's , a cricket pavilion tends to be used for the building the players emerge from and return to, even when this is actually a large building including a grandstand . A pavilion in stadia , especially baseball parks,
184-610: A transliteration from the Khmer word "sala wat", means a house for gathering to study, meeting in a wat. Some temples have large salas where laity can hear sermons or receive religious instruction. These are called sala kan parian (ศาลาการเปรียญ), meaning 'pavilion where monks learn for the Parian examination'. The city halls or offices of the province governors are called sala wa kan (ศาลาว่าการ, literally meaning 'government pavilion') or sala klang changwat (ศาลากลางจังหวัด, literally meaning
207-410: Is a cognate of Hindi शाल, meaning hall, large room or shed. Pavilion In architecture , pavilion has several meanings; The word is from French pavillon ( Old French paveillon ) and it meant a small palace, from Latin papilionem ( accusative of papilio ). In Late Latin and Old French, it meant both ‘butterfly’ and ‘tent’, because the canvas of a tent resembled
230-461: Is a material intended for the gods and not for human habitation. The first and only publication specifically addressing the ruins on the model of Prasat Teap Chei was conducted by Finot (1925) who provided descriptions of the size, decoration, orientation, and spacing of the dharmaçalas, a term that suggests both a religious and secular role. Claude Jacques recently supported the use of theses structures as fire shrine as it more accurately represents
253-416: Is a typically single-decked covered seating area (as opposed to the more expensive seating area of the main grandstand and the less expensive seating area of the uncovered bleachers ). Externally, pavilions may be emphasised by any combination of a change in height, profile (a flat facade may end in round pavilions, or flat ones that project out), colour, material, and ornament. Internally they may be part of
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#1732855422550276-530: Is found in Atharvaveda , which is an Indian Hindu text written in sanskrit language , which has been dated to 1200 BC to 1000 BC. "Sala" in Atharvaveda and later in various Indian languages denotes "house" in a broad and generic sense, with meanings such as "stall" for cattle, "shed" for corn, room or house, etc. The owner or the head of the house is called the "sala-pati" in Atharvaveda. Term "sala"
299-453: Is that the House of Fire had a religious function as the repository the sacred flame used in sacred ceremonies. In 1902, Lunet de Lajonquière rediscovered the regularly-spaced temples along the northwest and east roads. The dharmasalas are normally found to the north of the routes. Of all the characteristics, it is the regular spacing between temples that provides the justification for applying
322-465: The Pavillon de la Reine (“queen’s pavilion”), though no royal personage ever lived in the square. With their triple archways, they function like gatehouses that give access to the privileged space of the square. French gatehouses had been built in the form of such pavilions in the preceding century. In some areas, a pavilion is a term for a hunting lodge . The Pavillon de Galon in Luberon , France ,
345-609: The dharmashala have evolved towards wooden structures simply referred to as sala . Dharmashalas have been a part of the Indian philanthropic tradition since olden days and orthodox traveller still prefers to stay in a dharmashala rather than in a hotel. The Preah Khan stele dated to 1191 CE (see Cœdès 1941) and the decorative use of the Lokesvara motif. The stele describes a series of 121 vahni-griha found along three roads and in specific Angkorian temple enclosures. The decorative use of
368-509: The 18th century and can be equated to the Italian casina , formerly rendered in English "casino". These often resembled small classical temples and follies . Especially if there is some space for food preparation, they may be called a banqueting house . A pavilion built to take advantage of a view may be referred to as a gazebo . Bandstands in a park are a class of pavilion. A poolhouse by
391-504: The Lokesvara motif, which represents the Buddha of compassion, is associated with the switch to Buddhism as state religion for Jayavarman VII and his successor Indravarman II (1220-1270 CE). In the late 13th century, one hundred years after the reign of Jayavarman VII, Zhou Dagan mentioned the presence of samnak , or rest stops, which he compared to the post houses more common in China. Though
414-455: The exact use of the houses of fire. Scholars theorize that the houses with fire functioned as a "rest house with fire" for travellers or even chapels for travellers believed to be the house of fire, housing the sacred fire . An inscription at Preah Khan tells of 121 such rest houses lining the highways into Angkor . The Chinese traveller Zhou Daguan expressed his admiration for these rest houses when he visited Angkor in 1296 CE. Another theory
437-447: The inscription and possibly points to its role in housing a ‘sacred fire’, images of which are depicted being carried in processions on the walls of Angkor Wat , Banteay Chhmar and the Bayon . To this day, many Angkorian sites have been identified as houses of fire, in places such as Prohm Kel, Prasat Phtu, Teap Chei, Preah Khan, Ta Prohm, Kuk Top Thom and Prasat Kuk. Debate exists as to
460-540: The massive houses of fire fell into disrepair with the collapse of the Khmer Empire , the use of specific sala for travelers remained: in the 19th century, Henri Mouhot commented on the frequency of royal stations spaced approximately 20 kilometers apart for the king on the route between Kampot and Udong. In 1903, French archeologist A. Foucher recognised that these structures served first and foremost religious purposes and were not simply ‘resthouses’, pointing out that stone
483-512: The remaining fire shrines along the Northwest road in 2008 results in an average distance of 16.11 kilometers, which would suggest night stops as well has half-day breaks. Sala (Thai architecture) A sala ( Thai : ศาลา [sǎːlaː] ), also known as a Sala Thai , is an open pavilion , used as a meeting place and to give people shade. With etymological roots in the Sanskrit sala ,
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#1732855422550506-408: The specific term ‘resthouse’ that was initially presented by Louis Finot . Groslier suggested that an average day's travel in ancient Cambodia was 25 kilometers, thus determining the spacing between these structures. Initial measurements between the 11 known fire shrines on the Northwest and East roads were first recorded by Finot (1925) resulting in distances between 1.6 and 108 km. Discovery of
529-498: The word in Thai connotes buildings for specific purposes, such as sala klang ('provincial hall'). Most are open on all four sides. They are found throughout Thailand in Buddhist temple areas, or wats , although they can also be at other places. A person who builds a sala at a temple or in a public place gains religious merit. A sala located in a temple is called a salawat (ศาลาวัด), it's
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