a donor wished to endow a large monastery on a sizeable area of land or build a chapter house(thein), permission had to be sought from the king For a modest village monastery, royal approval was not generally necessary and local authorities were usually cooperative where the construction of works of merit were concerned. Obtaining a plot of land was not usually a problem According to the scriptures, monasteries were supposed to be located in quiet ecluded areas on the outskirts of a town, beyond the sound of women's voices when they come to the well to do their washing' (Nash 1973: 141) Land on the periphery of a town, being considered less desirable for commercial and residential purposes, was usually more readily available and much less expensive to purchase compared with prime locations in the downtown area Furthermore, due to the perceived superior moral and spiritual power of the monks, many local taboos regarding the selection of a suitable residential site could be dispensed with in the case of a monastery.