पालि
Pali
Elm Parkali, the language in which many canonical Buddhist texts were written, is a liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism, which is widely practiced across Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Though the language fell out of everyday use in the 1st century BCE, Pali is still read and used by Theravada Buddhist communities worldwide, including those based in New York. The Sri Lankan community's viharas (Buddhist monasteries), including in Queens and Staten Island, house ancient Pali scripture, as do Thai, Burmese, and Cambodian wats in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and outside the city.