In ancient Indian Buddhist monasteries, a ceremony called Pavarana used to be held. It was the:
- occasion to elect the Sanghaparinayaka and two speakers, one on Dhamma and the other on Vinaya
- confession by monks of their offences committed during their stay in the monasteries during the rainy season
- ceremony of initiation of new person into the Buddhist Sangha in which the head is shaved and yellow robes are offered
- gathering of Buddhist monks on the next day to the full moon day of Ashadha when they take up a fixed abode for the next four months or rainy season
Explanation
Option (b) is correct
- The Pavarana ceremony is a major Buddhist holy day that marks the end of Vassa (the three-month monastic rainy season retreat). Meaning “to invite” or “inviting admonition,” it is a time when monks formally invite their peers to point out any faults or wrongdoings they may have committed during the retreat, fostering communal harmony, accountability, and moral discipline.
