A gurukul or gurukulam is a type of education system in ancient India with shishya living near or with the guru in the same house for a period of time where they learn and get educated by their guru. Tradition by contrast, the word Guru has a very restricted use and not generally applied to individual teachers, while the institution of Gurdwara has a major social role instead of a monastic one.) The word gurukula is a combination of the Sanskrit words guru and kula. The term is also used today to refer to residential monasteries or schools operated by modern gurus. The proper plural of the term is gurukulam, though gurukuls is also used in English and some other European languages.