Choultry is a resting place, an inn or caravansary for travelers, pilgrims or visitors to a site, typically linked to Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples. They are also referred to as .
[''The Stanford Dictionary of Anglicised Words and Phrases Edited for the Syndics of the University Press'']
by Charles Augustus Maude Fennell, John Frederick Stanford, pages 244, 235, 242, 781[, Quote: "Here pilgrims could rest, or look at the processions, or buy house-idols, lamps, rosaries or various souvenirs. These mandapas (or chavadi, choultry) are of two types: (...)"]
This term is more common in South India, Central India and West India, while in North India similar facilities are called Dharmshalas. They are known as a chatra, satram, chatram or
dharmasala in eastern regions of India. The choultry concept and infrastructure in South Asia dates back to at least the 1st millennium, according to epigraphical evidence such as stone and copper plate inscriptions.
A choultry provides seating space, rooms, water and sometimes food financed by a charitable institution. Its services are either at no cost, or nominal rates, or it is up to the visitor to leave whatever they wish as a donation. They were also used by officials traveling on public business.
[ Many major temples have mandapam and pillared halls, some called Thousand pillared halls with an attached kitchen for servicing pilgrims and travelers to the temple. The term choultry may overlap with a ''mandapa''.]matha
A ''matha'' (; , ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism. ) also built and operated such choultries.
Etymology
In Telugu and Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
''chaawadi'', savadi, chau, Skt. chatur, 'four,' vata, 'road, a place where four roads meet Alternatively, it is derived from ''chatra'' (छत्र) which means "umbrella, cover", or 'shraaya'' (श्राय) which means shelter.West India
Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of western states of Republic of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra al ...
the form used is chowry or chowree (Dakhan. chaori). A pillared hall, a shed, or a simple loggia, used by travellers as a resting-place.
Other usages
In South India, especially in Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
a choultry can also denote a Hindu wedding hall.
Gallery
File:A Choultry, Or Place Of Worship Carved Out Of The Rock of Tritchinopoly. - British Library X768 2(8).jpg, A Madurai Hindu temple choultry
File:1806 painting of Srirangam from across the river, a Hindu temple pilgrim rest house choultry on right, Tamil Nadu India.jpg, A Srirangam temple choultry
File:Raja Tirumala Nayak Choultry at Madurai Hindu temple, a pilgrim traveler rest house.jpg, A choultry built during the Nayaka dynasty rule in Tamil Nadu
See also
* Caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
* Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...
References
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Hotel types
Living arrangements
Architecture in India
Hindu temple architecture