Wat Pathum Wanaram
Wat Pathum Wanaram ( Thai : วัด ปทุม วนาราม , also: วัด ป่า บัว , Wat Pa Bua - Temple of the Lotus Forest ) is a Buddhist temple ( Wat ) in the district ( Khet ) Pathum Wan of Thailand's capital Bangkok . Its full name is "Wat Pathum Wanaram Ratcha Wora Viharn" ( วัด ปทุมวนาราม ราชวรวิหาร), it is a third class temple of the order of the Thammayut monks.
location
The 150 year old royal temple is still an oasis of calm amid its noisy and hectic worldly surroundings. Directly to the west of the temple grounds is the recently opened Siam Paragon shopping center , a little further away is the Siam Center, which was built in 1973. The busy Rama I Street ( Thanon Phra Ram 1 ), over which the Bangkok Skytrain runs, passes in front of the temple grounds, and diagonally opposite across the street is Siam Square , a shopping area with many small shops, restaurants and large cinemas . To the east, the temple is crowded by the skyscrapers of the Central World Plaza shopping center, which is located at the Ratchaprasong intersection.
history
Wat Pathum Wanaram was founded in 1857 by King Mongkut (Rama IV) to have a place of worship near his new Sra Pathum Palace . The name of the new temple was first "Wat Sra Pathum", it was located far from the gates of Bangkok in the middle of rice fields in a swampy environment. Back then, the only way to get to the temple was by boat across the Khlong Saen Saep , which now runs “behind” the temple grounds, so to speak.
construction
The grounds of Wat Pathum Wanaram are shielded from their worldly surroundings by a high wall. From Rama-I.-Straße you first get through a gate to a large parking lot, which is bordered by an oval pond with lots of lotus flowers. The actual temple begins behind the pond. As with every traditional Thai wat, the floor plan is strictly divided into the Putthawat in the south , the area of the sacred buildings and the Sanghawat to the north , the living area of the monks. To the west of these areas there are still some neglected houses, but they also seem to belong to the temple.
The Putthawat is also surrounded by a low Kampheng Kaeo ( wall of jewels ). In it are exactly aligned from west to east in a row of the "Phra Ubosot ", the "Phra Chedi ", the "Phra Viharn " and the "Thon Pho", the Bodhi tree .
- The ubosot is slightly smaller than the viharn. His Bai Sema (boundary stones) are not flat and leaf-shaped ( Bai ), but three-dimensional, four-sided hewn, rather cube-shaped stones, as they are often found in Thammayut temples. In front of the western entrance is the modern sculpture of a Dvaravati - law wheel made of red sandstone, flanked by two statues of seven-headed Nagas . The interior walls are covered with wall paintings that date back to the time of King Mongkut. Oversized lotus blossoms are depicted on the front wall , with delicate apsaras dancing on their leaves . On the side walls there are more paintings of lotus ponds and scenes from the time of King Mongkut, in some scenes the king himself is depicted.
- The chedi is whitewashed, it is the only structure that can be seen from afar. The bell-shaped body stands on a square base, with small alcoves on the four ends. There is a statue of King Mongkut in the eastern alcove. The ashes of Prince Mahidol Adulyadej , the father of the current King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), are buried under the chedi . There is also a bone fragment of the Queen Mother Princess Srinagarindra ( ศรี น ค ริน ท รา ) and a bone fragment of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) .
- The viharn has a portico on each of its front sides. The believers enter the hall through three doors, which is dominated by the famous Buddha statue called Luang Pho Phra Soem ( หลวง พ่อ พระ เสริม ). Luang Pho Phra Soem was brought back from Vientiane as spoils of war by King Phra Nang Klao (Rama III) . King Mongkut finally had them brought here. Today she sits on an impressively decorated throne that is flanked by two huge elephant tusks. In the viharn, too, all walls are covered with traditional paintings. On the front a row of boats is shown, with which King Mongkut visits the temple coming over the Khlong Saen Saeb. On the side walls there are again numerous ponds with large lotus flowers, on the banks traditional, royal salas . The shutters are painted on the inside with mythological guardian figures standing between lotus flowers, on the outside they are covered with gilded wood carvings depicting scenes from the daily life of the time. Also worth seeing is an old black and white photograph of the temple as it looked over 100 years ago. The photo hangs somewhat hidden on the right side wall.
- The Bodhi tree is surrounded by a square, open gallery in which a number of different Buddha images are set up.
More buildings
In the "rear part" of the temple, between the Sanghawat, the living area of the monks, and the Khlong Saen Saeb, lies the Phra Meru Mas , a reconstruction of the crematorium of the revered Queen Mother of Thailand Srinagarindra ( ศรี น ค ริน ท รา ), her remains were cremated on March 10, 1996 on the Sanam Luang. The urn with its ashes was then transferred in a solemn procession to the temple of Wat Ratchabophit. The Phra Meru Mas is an example of traditional Thai craftsmanship, it is made entirely of wood and richly decorated with sculptures. It is supposed to represent the mythological mountain Meru , the central axis of the Buddhist worldview.
Web links
- Temple site (in Thai)
Individual evidence
- ↑ History of the Temple ( Memento from December 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (in Thai)
- ↑ The Great Seven Phenomena of Wat Pathum ( Memento from December 25, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (in Thai)
Coordinates: 13 ° 44 ′ 45.3 " N , 100 ° 32 ′ 12.8" E