Wat Sorasak

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Wat Sorasak, view from the southwest
Wat Sorasak, chedi surrounded by elephants
Wat Sorasak, close-up of the restored elephants

Only the ruins of the Buddhist temple complex Wat Sorasak ( Thai : วัด สร ศั ก ดี์ - Temple of Nai Inthara Sorasak , also called Wat Sarasak ) remain. It is located in Sukhothai Province Sukhothai in the northern region of Thailand .

location

Wat Sorasak is located in the north of the historic old town (Mueang Kao - เมือง เก่า ) of Sukhothai and northeast of San Ta Pha Daeng .

history

Wat Sorasak was founded in the time of the Sukhothai Kingdom during the reign of King Sai Lue Thai (Maha Thammaracha III). During excavations carried out here by the Fine Arts Department in 1955 , a stone inscription was discovered, which is why it is called the "Wat Sorasak stone inscription" (also Inscription no. 49 ). It is now in the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum . Based on this stone inscription, the founding year of Wat Sorasak can be dated to around 1412.

Nai Inthara Sorasak, the author of the stone inscription 49, was probably the resident of the King of Ayutthaya , sent here by King Intharacha to protect Ayuddhaya's interests from his vassal.

According to the stone inscription 49 , a “great chedi ”, a meeting hall ( Wihan ) , some kutis and a “building for Buddha statues” were built in Wat Sorasak . The chedi was “surrounded by elephants and decorated with a European-style seated Buddha statue ”. When the ruins were sighted by the Fine Arts Department, the remains of brick elephants and fragments of the Buddha statue were found. The chedi is in "Sinhala style" and stands on a square base. It is reminiscent of King Ramkhamhaeng's "masterpiece" Wat Chang Lom in Si Satchanalai . In addition to the seated Buddha figure, Nai Sorasak is said to have erected a striding Buddha according to the stone inscription, of which there is no trace today.

Attractions

The majestic “Sinhalese” or “Sukhothai” style chedi and the elephants surrounding the base have been restored. Only the foundation remains of the Wihan. There are no more remains of the building for statues and the kutis.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. Griswold: A Declaration ...
  2. Griswold, Towards A History ... , p. 51
  3. Griswold, A Declaration :… a great chedi ( ม่ หา เจ ดี )…
  4. Griswold, A Declaration : ... an image-house ( หอ พระ ) ...

Web links

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

Coordinates: 17 ° 1 ′ 22.7 ″  N , 99 ° 42 ′ 17.1 ″  E