Wat Si Chum

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View of Wat Si Chum from the east
Phra Achana, the main Buddha statue
Typical of the Sukhothai style: the hand of the Phra Achana in Wat Si Chum
Jataka engraving on shale lime, Wat Si Chum (detail of a replica in Mueang Boran )

The Wat Si Chum ( Thai วัด ศรี ชุม ) is a Buddhist temple complex ( Wat ) in Sukhothai , Sukhothai Province in the northern region of Thailand .

location

Wat Si Chum is part of the Sukhothai Historical Park , it is located northwest outside the Old City (Mueang Kao - เมือง เก่า ) of Sukhothai.

Attractions

The massive Mondop , a cube-shaped building in the middle of the complex was built by King Maha Thammaracha II towards the end of the 14th century . In it, a large sedentary is Buddha statue in the Bhumisparśa- mudra ( "Overcoming of Mara "), which is about 11 feet wide and 15 feet high. This figure is probably Phra Achana , who was mentioned in a stone inscription, the so-called "Inscription I.", by King Ram Khamhaeng . It is the largest surviving Buddha image in Sukhothai. The Buddha seemingly peering through the narrow opening of the temple, as well as his elegant, pointed hand are among the most popular postcard and photo motifs in Old Sukhothai.

The Mondop has a square floor plan with a side length of 32 meters. It is 15 meters high and its walls are 3 meters thick. In the southern wall there is access to a narrow staircase that leads to the roof. In this passage, more than 50 slabs of slate were discovered, on which images from the life of the Buddha ( Jataka ) are engraved. They are the oldest surviving examples of Thai drawing. Although these plates were originally in a different location, it is now believed that ritual circling (or here climbing the steps) can be seen as a symbolic ascent to Buddhahood. Originally the Mondop probably had a wooden monopitch or gable roof .

To the east of the Mondop you can see the ruins of an assembly hall ( Wihan ) with fragments of columns and three pedestals on which Buddha statues originally stood. North of the Mondop are the ruins of another small assembly hall and another, smaller Mondop with a Buddha statue. The entire facility is surrounded by a moat.

literature

  • Betty Gosling: Sukhothai Its History, Culture, And Art . Asia Books (Oxford University Press), Bangkok 1991, ISBN 974-8206-85-8
  • AB Griswold : Towards A History Of Sukhothai Art . The Fine Arts Department, Bangkok 1967 (oh. ISBN)
  • Dawn F. Rooney: Ancient Sukhothai, Thailand's Cultural Heritage . River Books, Bangkok 2008, ISBN 978-974-9863-42-8
  • Peter Skilling (Ed.): Past Lives of the Buddha. Wat Si Chum - Art, Architecture and Inscriptions. River Books, Bangkok 2008, ISBN 978-974-9863-45-9
  • Hiram W. Woodward Jr .: Guide to Old Sukhothai . The Fine Arts Department, Bangkok 1972 (without ISBN)

Web links

Commons : Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia. 2002 p. 1047
  2. ↑ DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Thailand. 2012, p. 195.
  3. ↑ Lonely Planet Thailand 2012, p. 391.
  4. ↑ Hiram W. Woodward Jr .: Guide to Old Sukhothai , p. 28

Coordinates: 17 ° 1 ′ 36.6 ″  N , 99 ° 41 ′ 36 ″  E