, native_name = , image = File:พระปรางค์สามยอด อ.เมือง จ.ลพบุรี (2).JPG , image_size = 300px , alt = , caption = , map_type = Thailand , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Thailand , location =

Lopburi Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...

, Lopburi province,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

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Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, deity = , country =

, functional_status = Open , length = , width = , height_max = , spire_height = , founded_by =

Jayavarman VII Jayavarman VII, posthumous name of Mahaparamasaugata ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani. He was ...

, groundbreaking = 1200 , year_completed = Phra Prang Sam Yot, also known as Phra Prang Sam Yod, is a 13th-century temple in

. The temple is currently a popular tourist destination.

Description

The temple was built by King

of the Khmer Empire in the early 13th century. Jayavarman intended for the temple to be an important location in the royal cult surrounding himself, as it would increase the legitimacy of his rule. In addition, the temple served to showcase the prestige of the Khmer Empire in Lopburi (then known as Lavo) as it had only recently captured the city from its

Cham Cham or CHAM may refer to: Ethnicities and languages *Chams, people in Vietnam and Cambodia **Cham language, the language of the Cham people ***Cham script ***Cham (Unicode block), a block of Unicode characters of the Cham script *Cham Albanian ...

and Mon rivals. One prominent statue in the temple was dedicated by Jayavarman to "Jayabuddhamahanatha", which is translatable to "Victorious Buddha, the Great Protector" - further evidence of the temple's martial origins. Built along the lines of contemporaneous

Khmer architecture Khmer architecture ( km, ស្ថាបត្យកម្មខ្មែរ), also known as Angkorian architecture ( km, ស្ថាបត្យកម្មសម័យអង្គរ), is the architecture produced by the Khmer people, Khmers ...

, the temple is made from brick with a stucco exterior, the latter possibly being inspired by

Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * An ...

architectural tradition. The structure has three towers, each with a corresponding deity; the north tower is dedicated to

Prajnaparamita A Tibetan painting with a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra at the center of the mandala Prajñāpāramitā ( sa, प्रज्ञापारमिता) means "the Perfection of Wisdom" or "Transcendental Knowledge" in Mahāyāna and Theravāda B ...

, the central tower to the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

, and the south tower to

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...

. The temple is furnished with art depicting Buddhist iconography. Originally dedicated to

Mahayana Buddhism ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

, the temple survived the end of the Khmer influence over Lavo, and the temple was later rededicated to

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

when Lopburi came under the control of the

Ayutthaya Kingdom The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...

. During the reign of

Narai the Great King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the P ...

(1656-1688) of Ayutthaya, a prayer hall (''Wihar'') was added to the temple complex. An image of Phra Prang Sam Yod is featured on a

Thai baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. Society for Worldw ...

note, and the temple is featured prominently on both the provincial seal and flag of Lopburi Province. The temple is often studied by Thai students. While it remains the site of active prayer, several sources have noted the temple is more popular as a tourist destination due to its resident population of monkeys. The temple itself however is in relatively poor condition.

Monkeys

The temple is famous for its large population of

crab-eating macaque The crab-eating macaque (''Macaca fascicularis''), also known as the long-tailed macaque and referred to as the cynomolgus monkey in laboratories, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. A species of macaque, the crab-eating macaqu ...

monkeys, which live in and around the temple grounds. The monkey population has always been present in Lopburi, but the start of the locally-held

Monkey Buffet Festival Macaques at the Monkey Buffet Festival at Phra Prang Sam Yot The Monkey Buffet Festival is held annually in Lopburi, Thailand. In 2007, the festival included giving fruits and vegetables to the local monkey population of 2,000 crab-eating macaque ...

in 1989 led to a dramatic increase in their population. The festival serves a dual purpose, drawing in tourists while also honoring the traditional Lopburi belief that monkeys are disciples of ''Jao Paw Phra Kan'', a spirit which protects the city. While the monkeys provide a valuable boon to local tourism, their activities have caused some damage to the temple's exterior (they are prevented from entering the temple).

References

{{Reflist Angkorian sites in Thailand Lopburi province Temples in Thailand