In ancient Indian Buddhist monasteries, a ceremony called Pavarana used to be held. It was the

Answer: (b) confession by monks of their offences committed during their stay in the monasteries during the rainy season

Pavarana was held at the end of the monks' rainy-season retreat, when each monk invited the others to point out any offence he had committed. So it is the occasion of confession, not an election, initiation or full-moon gathering.

• ✗ (a) Electing office-bearers was not the purpose of Pavarana.
• ✓ (b) Pavarana closed the rainy-season retreat; each monk invited the others to point out any offence he had committed.
• ✗ (c) Initiation into the Sangha is a separate rite (pabbajja and upasampada).
• ✗ (d) The gathering at the start of the rains retreat is the Vassa entry, not Pavarana, which ends it.

Remember · Uposatha recites the monastic rules at the full moon; Pavarana closes the rainy-season retreat with invitations to point out faults.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2002, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 2002: the answer shown is the one the sources above support. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error