Wat Phra That Hariphunchai

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viharn Luang and Chedi of Wat Phra That Hariphunchai

Wat Phra That Hariphunchai (full name: Wat Phra That Hariphunchai Woramahaviharn , Thai : วัด พระ ธาตุ หริ ภุ ญ ชัย วรมหาวิหาร - for example: Monastery of the Holy Relic of Hariphunchai ) is a Buddhist temple ( Wat ) in Lamphun , northern Thailand . It is a first class royal temple . Wat Phra That Hariphunchai is right in the center of the historic old town of Lamphun.

history

Wat Phra That Hariphunchai was the most important temple of the Mon kingdom of Hariphunchai . According to legend, it was founded by King Aditya Ratcha to keep a relic of the Buddha that he found buried in the garden of his palace. This happened shortly before his accession to the throne in 1150. He is said to have built the temple on the site where the palace of the legendary Queen Chamadevi is said to have stood. It received its present form in the 15th century by King Tilokarat . None of the buildings visible today were built before the 15th century.

In Thai popular belief, Wat Phra That Hariphunchai is associated with the Chinese zodiac sign of the rooster. In the Year of the Rooster born therefore like to make a pilgrimage here.

Attractions

The Phutthawat (Thai: เข ถ พุทธาวาส ), the area dedicated to the Buddha, which is enclosed by a wall ( Kampheng Kaeo ), has a square shape with the Chedi in its center.

  • Phra Maha That Chedi - today's 46 meter high chedi in the center of Putthawat was originally a reliquary shrine only four meters high. It was open on all four sides, its roof was supported by four pillars. In the 13th century, a chedi about eight meters high was built around it. Today's chedi was built by King Tilokarat in 1448 . Ultimately, at the beginning of the 19th century , King Kawila had the ceremonial umbrellas at the four corners and the nine-tier umbrella, which is said to consist of 68 kg of gold, added at the top.
  • Viharn Luang - The Great Assembly Hall ( Viharn ) was renovated in 1925 after the previous building collapsed in an earthquake in 1915.
  • Hor Trai - The construction of the library building ( Hor Trai ) corresponds to that of Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai . The elegant wooden building with a three-tiered roof stands on an approximately three-meter-high stone base.
  • Hor Rakhang - The bell tower ( Hor Rakhang ) is actually a gong tower. In it, next to a smaller bell, there is a bronze gong about two meters in diameter, which dates from 1864.
  • Suwanna Chedi - The elegant stepped chedi on the north wall of the temple is a 1418 copy of the Mahapol Chedi from Wat Chamadevi , the most famous structure of the Hariphunchai Empire.

Impressions from the temple area

swell

  • Michael Freeman: Lanna - Thailand's Northern Kingdom . River Books, Bangkok 2001, ISBN 0-500-97602-3

Web links

Commons : Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 18 ° 34 ′ 38.7 "  N , 99 ° 0 ′ 29.5"  E