Wat Chaiyo
The Wat Chaiyo Worawihan ( Thai วัด ไชโย วรวิหาร , also Wat Ket Chaiyo) is a Buddhist temple complex ( Wat ) in the district ( Amphoe ) Chaiyo of the Ang Thong Province . Ang Thong Province is located in central Thailand .
Wat Chaiyo Worawihan is a second class royal temple .
location
Wat Chaiyo Woraviharn is located about 18 kilometers north of the provincial capital Ang Thong on the western bank of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya . Highway 309 towards Singburi passes nearby.
Building history
Originally laid out as a small ordinary temple during the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom , Wat Chaiyo Woraviharn has been famous since the time of King Mongkut ( Rama IV , r. 1851–1868) because of the seated Buddha, who was very venerated locally. It was made of white cement on the initiative of Somdet Phra Phutthachan, a highly respected monk from Wat Rakhang Khositaram in Thonburi .
King Mongkut came here on a trip to pay his respects to the Buddha and then had the temple renovated. But structural problems arose during the repair work, so that the statue collapsed. King Chulalongkorn ( Rama V , r. 1868-1910) then had a new seated figure made in 1887, which was designed after the statue in Wat Kalayanamit .
Attractions
The seated Buddha statue from the Rattanakosin period, which is designed in a meditation posture, is worth seeing . The statue was given the name Phra Mahaphutthaphim (Thai: พระ มหา พุทธ พิมพ์ ) by King Chulalongkorn and measures 16.10 meters from knee to knee and is 22.65 meters high. After the statue took its place, a very handsome wihan was built around the Buddha image. Today this statue is very revered in Ang Thong and the surrounding provinces.
The located in front of the viharn ubosot was also built in a very beautiful Thai style, is on the banks of Chao Phraya River . Inside, painters from the time of King Chulalongkorn put up wall paintings from the life of the Buddha .
Worth mentioning
Some Buddhist temples have made special, more or less sought-after amulets or still do so today. The amulets from Wat Chaiyo are called "Somdet Wat Chaiyo" and are as much in demand as they are difficult to find.
literature
- Clarence Aasen: Architecture of Siam: A Cultural History and Interpretation . Oxford: Oxford University Press 1998. ISBN 983-56-0027-9 .
Web links
Coordinates: 14 ° 43 '4.7 " N , 100 ° 26" 12.6 " E