Wat Intharawihan or Wat Intharavihan ( th, วัดอินทรวิหาร, ) is a Third Class Royal

wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

(temple) located in the Phra Nakhon District of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

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 ...

. It is noted for its high standing Buddha statue known as Luang Pho To or "Phra Si Ariyamettrai" that was erected on the inspiration of the still highly revered abbott

Somdej Toh Somdet To (1788–1872; B.E. 2331–2415), known formally as Somdet Phra Buddhacarya (To Brahmaramsi) ( th, สมเด็จพระพุฒาจารย์ (โต พฺรหฺมรํสี); ), was one of the most famous Buddhist mo ...

Location

The Wat is at the northern edge of the Banglamphu area of Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. Access to the temple is by boat along the Chao Praya River close to Thanin Wisut Kasat. Road access is through local transport. The northbound

Samsen Road 350px, Samsen Road in the phase of Thewet Naruemit Bridge (view backward to Phra Nakhon side) Samsen or spelled Sam Sen ( th, สามเสน, ) is a road and neighbourhood in Bangkok considered to be one of Bangkok's oldest. Samsen road start ...

leads to this wat, which is hidden below the elevated expressway. Also called Wat In, of the late

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 ...

, when it was called Wat Bang Khunphrom Nok for the name of the suburb where it is located.

History

The Wat is a royal temple categorized as Class III, which was built at the beginning of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, and was originally called Wat Rai Phrik "Vegetable fields Wat". It was so named as it was surrounded by vegetable gardens. The land where the temple is situated was provided by

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Tha ...

to accommodate prisoners of war. During the reign of King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts ...

it was refurbished by Chao Inthawong, whereafter it was known as Wat Intharavihan. Chao Inthawong also brought a priest from Vientiane to preside as the abbot of the temple.

Luang Pho To Buddha statue

The Wat's main architectural depiction is a high, wide standing

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

referred to as Luang Pho To or "Phra Si Ariyamettrai" (

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

). Building the Buddha statue was started in 1867 and it took sixty more years to complete it in 1927. The image is made of brick and stucco.

, the then Abbott of the temple was the inspiration to build it. He died at the foot of the image in 1871 when it was being built. A gilded bust of this abbot is enshrined at the temple entrance. The Buddha image is carrying bowl and stairways at the sides to the back behind the statue provides access for devotees to paste gold leaf on the statue. The image is called Luang Phor To. In 1982 during 200th anniversary of the establishment of Bangkok city the image was refurbished and fitted with Italian golden mosaic tile. The statue which is decorated in glass mosaics tiles is gilded with 24-carat gold. The topknot, called

ushnisha The ushnisha (, IAST: ) is a three-dimensional oval at the top of the head of the Buddha. In Pali scriptures, it is the crown of Lord Buddha, the symbol of his Enlightenment and Enthronement. Description The Ushnisha is the thirty-second of th ...

, of the Buddha statue contains a relic of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a 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 born in Lu ...

that was given as a gift by the

Government of Sri Lanka The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය, Śrī Lankā Rajaya; ta, இலங்கை அரசாங்கம்) is a parliamentary system determined by the Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the is ...

. The enshrinement of the relic in the ushnisha was done by Prince

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...

, the knot was placed in 1978.

Features

Temple

The temple has an

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

hall called the

Ubosot The ordination hall is a Buddhist building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual ('' upasampada'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Patimokkha. The ordination hall ...

(prayer hall) also known linguistically as Bod. Its architecture reflects the style followed during the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It was refurbished in 1982. Italian marble is used to decorate the lower part of the hall and the walls are decorated with traditional paintings. The

sema Sama ( tr, Sema, Persian, Urdu and ar, سَمَاع - ''samā‘un'') is a Sufi ceremony performed as part of the meditation and prayer practice dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance".During, J., and R. Sellheim. "Sama ...

boundary posts marking the limits of the Ubosot are mounted over small

naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

images. The murals on the walls have the theme of the daily life. There is also a practice at this venue to make and sell

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

s. An image of Phra Puttahachan, who was an abbot in the temple is enshrined in a separate newly constructed chamber in the temple. The image is made of wax and is placed over a spring of water. Water collected from various regions of Thailand is preserved in containers placed in the shelves in the chamber. Air conditioning is provided to preserve the wax image. The same is dimly lighted and devotees do meditation here as it has a special ambiance.

Guanyin shrine

There is another shrine here dedicated to

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

, a female form of

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, ...

, a

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

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 ...

Worship

Devotees who visit the temple for worship offer

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

, a boiled egg and a garland of flowers which they place with reverence at the foot of the Buddha image.

Gallery

Image:Wat Intharawihan - Temple front.jpg, Detail on the front of the wat Image:Wat Intharawihan - Statue.jpg, An ornamental statue Image:Wat Intharawihan - Statue 2.jpg, ''Luang Pho To'' or ''Luang Phaw Toh'' Image:Wat Intharawihan - Buddha 2.jpg, A woman prays at Buddha's feet

References

Bibliography

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