Wat Pa Lelai

Luang Pho Tho

Wat Pa Lelai (full name: Wat Pa Lelai Worawihan , Thai วัด ป่า เล ไลย ก์ วรวิหาร ; also written Wat Palelai ) is a very old Buddhist temple ( Wat ) on the western outskirts of Suphanburi in central Thailand . It is a Third Class Royal Temple .

etymology

The name of the temple is reminiscent of the Parileyyaka forest, where the Buddha sought rest after leaving Kosambi.

history

Wat Pa Lelai is probably already 800 years old. He is mentioned in the "Chronicles of the North" (Thai: พงศาวดาร เหนือ ) as a king named Phra Chao Kathae (Thai: พระเจ้า กา แต ), who came from Hongsawadi (today: Pegu ), to celebrate his coronation in 1181 Wat Sanam Chai founded and had Wat Pa Lelai restored. Further modifications were made in the Ayutthaya period . The last major work was done by King Mongkut (Rama IV.) : On his pilgrimages in the time before he was crowned king, he noticed that the large statue of Luang Pho Tho was in the open air. He had the viharn built around him.

Attractions

Luang Pho Tho (Thai: หลวง พ่อ โต - literally: huge, venerable father ) is a 23 meter high Buddha statue in the "U-Thong style". She sits in what is known as the "western style", his left hand rests on his thigh, his right hand lies palm up on his right knee. In the notation of the abbot of Wat Pho , Prince Paramanuchit Chinorot , who compiled a list of 40 unique gestures of Thai Buddha statues in the 1830s , this species is called “resting with elephant and monkey”. It refers to the "Parileyyaka Sutta", in which the Buddha sought refuge from arguing fellow monks in the Parileyyaka forest, and here was supplied by a monkey with a honeycomb and by an elephant with a pot of water. The monkey and elephant are depicted as reliefs on the walls to the left and right in front of the statue. The statue was originally in the open air, but later a sala (chapel) was built around the image.

The "House of Khun Chang" is on the edge of the temple grounds. It was set up here in memory of the epic Khun Chang Khun Phaen of classical Thai literature , which was written by the Thai national poet Sunthon Pu . Some key scenes take place here at Wat Pa Lelai. Statues of Khun Phaen and the beautiful Nang Phim are to the right and left of the entrance to the Viharn of Luang Pho Tho.