Janthaghara in Sri Lanka Janthaghara (Sinhala: ජන්තාඝර) is a type of Buddhist structure constructed in monasteries in ancient Sri Lanka for the body-wellness of monks. History Buddhism has mainly concentrated on the physical and mental well-being of all living beings. Physical well-being is considered important to mental hygiene and information and instructions on the physical hygiene of monks are found described in several Buddhist manuscripts such as in Vinaya Pitakaya (Hemalatha et al., 2012; Wijepala, 2014). During the Anuradhapura Period , some specific buildings were constructed considering the physical health of monks and Janthagharaya was a such structure constructed in monasteries to assist monks to control their body weight and obesity (Hemalatha et al., 2012). The structure Janthaghara can be considered a steam-bath house built for the usage of Buddhist monks and they are found in association with some centric monasteries, Pabbata monasteries and Double-platform monasteries (Wijepala, 2014). Common art…
