Wat Ratchaburana (Phitsanulok)

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The old chedi and the shrine
Buddha statue in the old shrine

The Wat Ratchaburana ( Thai วัด ราช บุรณะ พิษณุโลก , wát râːt-bùː-rá-ná pʰít-sà-nú-lôːk ) is a Buddhist temple complex ( Wat ) in Phitsanulok in northern Thailand .

location

Wat Ratchaburana is located in the center of Phitsanulok on the left bank of the Mae Nam Nan River (Nan River) and south of the main temple of the province, Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat , from which it can be reached on foot.

Attached to Wat Ratchaburana is Wat Nang Phaya, which does not have an ubosot itself , but has a large temple school. During excavations in 1901 and 1954, the Buddhist votive tablets and amulets (Phra Khrueang), for which Phitsanulok is famous, were found. They are thought to be miraculous, and therefore Wat Nang Phaya is also held in high regard by the believers.

Building history

King Borommatrailokanat (1448–1488) of Ayutthaya moved the capital of his empire to Phitsanulok in 1463 and, as a devout Buddhist, had both new temples built and old ones restored.

Wat Ratchaburana dates from the beginning of his reign in Phitsanulok. He had a chedi and some buildings built. Today the impressive chedi of it can still be seen, the other buildings were built on the ruins of that time. King Mongkut (Rama IV.) Had buildings built and restored.

Attractions

The main attraction is the almost 600 year old chedi from the time of King Borommatrailokanat. It houses relics of the Buddha, but unlike the prang in Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat Phitsanulok, it is not accessible.

The ubosot of Wat Ratchaburana has an unusual roof structure: the eaves merge into a three-headed naga . In the nearby old shrine there is a very beautiful Sukhothai-style Buddha figure amid red-painted pillars, the capitals of which are modeled on lotus buds . In addition, the shrine is designed as an exhibition room and shows old coins and banknotes as well as musical instruments and glass objects. The walls are decorated with graceful traditional wall paintings.

On the grounds of Wat Ratchaburana, there is the sala, the assembly hall, an old bell tower, Hor Rakhang , and a shrine with a garden and six swan figures that was built in recent years.

Impressions

  • Impressions from Wat Ratchaburana, Phitsanulok

  • Entrance to Wat Ratchaburana, on the right the Naresuan Bridge, further right to Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat

  • Ubosot with the three-headed Nagas

  • Longboat

  • Old chedis

  • Hor Rakhang with the old bell

  • New shrine with swan figures and a small park

  • Detail on the meeting building of the temple

literature

  • Clarence Aasen: Architecture of Siam: A Cultural History and Interpretation . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1998, ISBN 983-56-0027-9 .
  • Phra Buddhachinnaraj: Supreme of the Buddhist Art . Chiang Mai 1994 (with sections to Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Nang Phaya)

Web links

Coordinates: 16 ° 49 ′ 18.2 ″  N , 100 ° 15 ′ 40.2 ″  E