What is "dharamshala"

Dharamshala can mean either of the following:

• Dharmasala, Jajpur, Orissa is a small town near Jajapur in India
• Dharamsala, a city in Himachal Pradesh, India
• Dharamshala (type of building), resthouses or sarais in India
• Dharmasala, Kannur , A small town in Kannur

(banda), Argentina - Buenos Aires.

A dharamshala, also written as dharmashala ( dharmaśālā) is a Hindu religious resthouse. In Shanskrit, Dharma means religion, and shala means "sanctuary" hence dharamshala is a 'religious sanctuary' or rest-house for pilgrims, that is primarily created for religious pilgrims or as a religious endowment.

Creating dharmashala a tradition common in Hinduism, Jainism and also Tibetan Buddhism. Just as sarai are for travellers and caravans, dharamshalas are specifically meant for religious travellers and built at pilgrimage sites.