Laid out like a chessboard (nearly half the size of China's similarly designed capital, Chang'an), Nara had its imperial palace at the northern end, with court residences, Buddhist monasteries, and Shinto shrines stretching to the south.
There were Buddhist monasteries in the west of Nara.
mnli hypothesis: There were Buddhist monasteries in the west of Nara. premise: Laid out like a chessboard (nearly half the size of China's similarly designed capital, Chang'an), Nara had its imperial palace at the northern end, with court residences, Buddhist monasteries, and Shinto shrines stretching to the south.