Wat Phra Mahathat (Nakhon Si Thammarat)
Wat Phra Mahathat (full name: Wat Phra Mahathat Woramaha Wihan , Thai : วัด พระ มหาธาตุ วรมหาวิหาร ) is a Buddhist temple ( wat ) in Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand . It is a First Class Royal Temple , the most famous temple of Nakhon Si Thammarat and one of the oldest temples in Thailand. It was built when the city was founded and is said to have a tooth relic of the Buddha.
Description and location
The 74 meter high chedi is called Chedi Phra Borommathat , it is located in a small courtyard that is filled with a forest of 173 smaller chedis. It was built as early as the 5th, possibly even the 8th century; it is said to have been built over an older, square chedi in the Srivijaya style. In the 13th century it was expanded and enlarged, and got its current appearance in the Sri Lankan style. The courtyard is surrounded by a covered gallery called Wihan Tap Kaset , which is decorated with Buddha statues and elephant heads that appear to peek out from the base of the chedi. In Wihan Phra Song Ma there is a staircase that leads up to the tour around the chedi above the gallery. The staircase is guarded by mythological giants ( yak ).
To the north of it stands the Wihan Kien with a small temple museum. South of the chedi is the magnificent ubosot , which was built in Ayutthaya style in 1628. The monks' living quarters are across the street in a separate temple, Wat Na Phra Boromathat.
The chedi is the symbol of the Nakhon Si Thammarat province and is also depicted in the seal of the province.
Chedi Phra Borommathat
Wall relief inside the chedi
Elephant head in the Ubosot
Wihan with stairs to the chedi
Hae Pha Khuen That
A special festival associated with this temple is Hae Pha Khuen That ( แห่ ผ้า ขึ้น ธาตุ ). It is celebrated on the occasion of the Magha Puja holiday, which is widely observed in Theravada Buddhist countries , on the full moon day in February. Processions with long cloths (Phra Bot) pull through the city to Wat Phra Mahathat and wrap the cloths around the chedis, especially around the large Chedi Phra Borommathat. Traditionally, white cloths are painted with scenes from the life of the Buddha, but for the sake of simplicity, plain white, yellow or red cloths are also used. This is to be understood as a symbolic offering to the Buddha. According to local tradition, the festival has been celebrated since 1230 and attracts thousands of guests from home and abroad.
Individual evidence
- ^ Richard Barrow: Hae Pha Khuen Festival. In: Buddhism in Thailand ( http://www.thaibuddhist.com ), February 19, 2011.
Web links
Coordinates: 8 ° 24 ′ 41 ″ N , 99 ° 58 ′ 0 ″ E