gāmaṁ

a collection of houses, a hamlet (cp. Ger. gemeinde), a habitable place (opp. arañña: gāme vā yadi vâraññe Snp.119), a parish or village having boundaries & distinct from the surrounding country (gāmo ca gāmupacāro ca Vin.i.109 Vin.i.110; Vin.iii.46). In size varying, but usually small distinguished from nigama, a market-town. It is the smallest in the list of settlements making up a “state (raṭṭhaṃ). See definition & description at Vin.iii.46 Vin.iii.200. It is the source of support for the bhikkhus, and the phrase gāmaṃ piṇḍāya carati “to visit the parish for alms” is extremely frequent.

1. a village as such Vin.i.46; Ārāmika˚, Pilinda˚ Vin.i.28, Vin.i.29 (as Ārāmikagāmaka & Pilinda-gāmaka at Vin.iii.249); Sakyānaṃ gāme janapade Lumbineyye Snp.683; Uruvela˚ Pv.ii.13#18; gāmo nâtikālena pavisitabbo MN.i.469; ˚ṃ raṭṭhañ ca bhuñjati Snp.619, Snp.711; gāme tiṃsa kulāni honti Ja.i.199
   ■ Snp.386, Snp.929, Snp.978; Ja.ii.153; Ja.vi.366; Dhp.47, Dhp.49; Dhs.697 (suñño g.); Pv-a.73 (gāme amaccakula); Pv-a.67 (gāmassa dvārasamīpena)
   ■ gāmā gāmaṃ from hamlet to hamlet MN.ii.20; Snp.180 (with nagā nagaṃ; expl. Snp-a.216 as devagāmā devagāmaṃ), Snp.192 (with purā puraṃ); Pv.ii.13#18. In the same sense gāmena gāmaṃ Cnd.177 (with nigamena n˚, nagarena n˚., raṭṭhena r˚., janapadena j˚.).
2. grouped with nigama, a market-town: gāmanigamo sevitabbo or asevitabbo AN.iv.365 sq., cp. AN.v.101 (w. janapadapadeso)- Vin.iii.25, Vin.iii.184 (˚ṃ vā nigamaṃ vā upanissāya), Vin.iv.93 (piṇḍāya pavisati); gāmassa vā nigamassa vā avidūre DN.i.237; MN.i.488; gāme vā nigame vā Pp.66
3. as a geographical-political unit in the constitution of a kingdom, enumerated in two sets:
   1. gāma-nigamarājadhāniyo Vin.iii.89; AN.iii.108; Cnd.271#iii; Pv.ii.13#18 Dhp-a.i.90
   2. gāma-nigama-nagara-raṭṭha-janapada Cnd.177, Cnd.304#iii (˚bandhana), Cnd.305 (˚kathā); with the foll. variations: g. nigama nagara MN.ii.33–MN.ii.40; g nigama janapada Snp.995; Vism.152; gāmāni nigamāni ca Snp.118 (explained by Snp-a.178: ettha ca saddena nagarāni ti pi vattabbaṃ)

■ See also dvāra˚; paccanta˚ bīja˚; bhūta˚; mātu˚.

-anta the neighbourhood of a village, its border, the village itself, in ˚nāyaka leading to the village AN.iii.189 ˚vihārin (= āraññaka) living near aN v. MN.i.31, MN.i.473; AN.iii.391