Wat Phra That Phanom
Wat Phra That Phanom ( Thai : วัด พระ ธาตุพนม ) is one of the most important and most revered Buddhist temples in Isan , northeastern Thailand. It is located in the center of the small town That Phanom ( อำเภอ ธาตุพนม ), not far from the Mekong , in the southeasternmost tip of the Nakhon Phanom province . The extensive complex extends around a chedi built around 900 AD , which is called That ( ธาตุ , lit. relic ) and which has been restored and redesigned several times over the centuries. Inside there is supposed to be a relic of Buddha (a collarbone).
History and architecture
Eight years after the death of Buddha, the first 8 m high structure is said to have been built here by five kings of the legendary kingdom of Sri Gotapura . Brick reliefs at the base of the deed from the 9th and 10th centuries document the influence of the Dvaravati culture. That Phanom was probably a center of ritual life in the region and a hub of trade in pottery and agricultural products between the Khorat plateau (today's Isan) and the coasts of Vietnam and Champas . In the 11th century was a center of this Khmer -Culture in the sphere of Angkor . At the end of the 13th century the area was taken over by Lao .
Around 1614, during the Lan Xang period, the sides of the sanctuary were redesigned and the complex was walled. Almost its present-day form in the Laotian style actually got around 1690, when the monk Phra Khru Luang Phonsamek had it raised to a height of 47 meters. In addition, numerous decorations and a tip made of 16 kilograms of pure gold were attached. The sculptures and the flower ornaments on the outside of the deed were made during the Rattanakosin period around 1901.
In 1941 it was renovated for the first time and brought to its current height of 57 meters (according to other sources, only 52 meters). In 1975 it was badly damaged by heavy thunderstorms and therefore had to be renovated again by 1979. It is said that the tower was gilded with 110 kilograms of gold.
The square base of the That is decorated with detailed reliefs in the Khmer style. Here scenes from Hindu and Buddhist mythology are depicted, including the entrance of the enlightened into nirvana . In front of the deed stands a Buddha figure crowned by a golden umbrella on a multi-tiered pedestal .
All other temples are from more recent times. A wall about two meters high, richly decorated and crowned with golden battlements, surrounds the square courtyard around the deed; its interior walls are decorated with colorful, naive wall paintings that depict the everyday life of the local population. The four corners of the wall are adorned with bell towers. Elaborately decorated gate entrances are set into each of the four long sides of the wall, guarded by stone lions on the outside. The main entrance of the complex, which faces east, on the city side and is provided with three gate openings, is particularly richly decorated. The other buildings of the temple complex are located around this square area, in a well-tended park landscape with numerous trees and flowers.
In 2017, the temple complex, the historical buildings connected to it and its natural surroundings were included in the provisional list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites .
particularities
The deed of Wat Phra That Phanom was copied and imitated in numerous Thai (and also in Laotian) temples - mainly in the province of Nakhon Phanom itself, but also in Wat Phra Putthabat Bua Bok in the not too distant Udon Thani ; there are even examples in central Thailand. In addition, the deed stamps the coat of arms of the province and is also quoted in its motto.
In Thai popular belief, Wat Phra That Phanom is associated with the Chinese zodiac sign of the monkey. That is why people born in the year of the monkey like to make a pilgrimage here.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Marc Askew, Colin Long, William Logan: Vientiane. Transformations of a Lao Landscape. Routledge, Abingdon / New York 2007, p. 30.
- ^ Phra That Phanom, its related historic buildings and associated landscape. Tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage, accessed on May 10, 2017 (English).
Coordinates: 16 ° 56 ′ 34 " N , 104 ° 43 ′ 27" E