Wat Chang Rop (Sukhothai)

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Wat Chang Rop
Chedi of Wat Chang Rop with the remains of the elephant sculptures

Only the ruins of the Buddhist temple complex Wat Chang Rop ( Thai วัด ช้าง รอบ , monastery surrounded by elephants ) remain. It is located in Sukhothai Province Sukhothai in the northern region of Thailand .

location

The Wat Chang Rop is part of the Sukhothai Historical Park , it is located in wooded hills about two kilometers (as the crow flies) west of the O-City Gate ( ประตู อ้อ - Pratu O) outside the Old City (Mueang Kao - เมือง เก่า ) of Sukhothai.

General

The Theravada Buddhist monks ( bhikkhus ) of that time can be divided into two groups based on their way of life. One group preferred to study the Buddha's teachings , the Tipitaka . It was convenient for them to live in the monasteries within the city. That is why they were called “city monks” (Kamawasi, พระ สงฆ์ คามวาสี ). The other group preferred to practice mindfulness and meditate. They often lived in monasteries outside the cities in quiet forest areas ( Aran - อรัญ ญ์ ) and were therefore called "forest monks" ( Aranyawasi - พระ สงฆ์ อรัญ ญ วาสี ). They were the models of the later Thai forest tradition . Since the hills to the west of the old city consisted of a sparse forest, the forest monks lived here in about a dozen temples scattered on the hills.

Attractions

The eponymous chedi , bell-shaped, stands on a large square base. On the four sides of the base there are niches from which the front halves of 24 elephants protrude. This chedi is probably the first in Sukhothai to have the "Sinhala style". The Prince Si Satha, who came from Mueang Rat (possibly today's Lom Sak ) , brought suggestions back from his studies in Sri Lanka.

In front of the chedi are the remains of a small assembly hall ( Wihan ) with laterite columns.

literature

  • Betty Gosling: Sukhothai Its History, Culture, And Art . Asia Books (Oxford University Press), Bangkok 1991, ISBN 974-8206-85-8
  • AB Griswold : Towards A History Of Sukhothai Art . The Fine Arts Department, Bangkok 1967 (without ISBN)
  • Dawn F. Rooney: Ancient Sukhothai, Thailand's Cultural Heritage . River Books, Bangkok 2008, ISBN 978-974-9863-42-8
  • Hiram W. Woodward Jr .: Guide to Old Sukhothai . The Fine Arts Department, Bangkok 1972 (without ISBN)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ HRH Prince Damrong Rajanubhab : A History Of Buddhist Monuments In Siam . Bangkok 1929, translated into English by Sulak Sivaraksa , The Siam Society , Bangkok 1962, oh. ISBN
  2. ↑ In Kandy , Sri Lanka in the temples Gadaladeniya Viharaya and Lankathilaka Viharaya there is a similar architectural feature that elephants appear to emerge from a chedi ( called dagoba or stupa there). Rooney, Ancient Sukhothai , p. 140

Web links

Commons : Wat Chang Rop  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 17 ° 1 ′ 7.8 ″  N , 99 ° 40 ′ 25 ″  E