2017 0427 Blessing ceremony Wat Phanan Choeng 02

Wat Phanan Choeng ( th, วัดพนัญเชิง
pronunciation
is a

Buddhist 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 ...

temple in the city of

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...

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 ...

, on the east bank of the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

at the south-eastern side of the confluence of the

Chao Phraya The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

and Pa Sak rivers. Today, as part of the

Ayutthaya Historical Park Ayutthaya Historical Park ( th, อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์พระนครศรีอยุธยาPronunciation) covers the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. The ...

, the temple is a popular tourist attraction.

History

Founding

Built in 1324, some 27 years before the city of Ayutthaya was officially founded, the temple must have been partly connected to early settlements in the area. These notably allegedly included a 200-strong refugee community from

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The large ''wihan'', the highest building within the temple complex, houses an immense

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

19 meter high seated Buddha from 1334 CE. This highly revered Buddha statue is called ''Luang Pho Tho'' ( th, หลวงพ่อโต) by Thais, and ''Sam Pao Kong'' ( th, ซำเปากง) by

Thai-Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais), Thais of Chinese origin ( th, ชาวไทยเชื้อสายจีน; ''exonym and also domestically''), endonym Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย), are Chinese descenda ...

. The statue is regarded as a guardian for

mariner A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

s. Allegedly, prior to the destruction of Ayutthaya by the Burmese in 1767 CE, "tears flowed from the sacred eyes to the sacred navel". The statue has been restored several times in history. King

Mongkut Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibod ...

named the statue ''Phra Puttha Thrai Ratana Nayok'' after its restoration in 1854 CE.

Visit by Zheng He

The temple was visited in 1407 CE by

Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferred ...

, a Chinese Muslim eunuch admiral from

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

who leading his second

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

imperial voyage. He bestowed gifts upon the temple in a great ceremony that included Siamese royal participation, and is today remembered by Thai-Chinese visitors who still visit the temple in his honour.

Visiting information

Wat Phanan Choeng is located in Khlong Suan Plu Sub-district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thailand, 13000. It is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. The entrance fee is 20 baht, paid at a small booth at the entrance. The temple may be reached brom Bangkok by road Asia (Highway 32). Via public transit, the temple may be reached from New Mor Chit station, where there are many buses to Ayutthaya every day. It may also be reached by vans at the Victory Monument or Future Park Rangsit. One may also take a motorcycle taxi or auto rickshaw to Wat Phanan Choeng.Wat Phanan Choeng Ayutthaya. Retrieved: March 28, 2018, http://www.paiduaykan.com/province/central/ayutthaya/watphananchoeng.html By train, after going from Bangkok railway station to Ayutthaya railway station, one may take a motorcycle taxi or auto rickshaw to reach the temple.

References

Phanan Choeng Thai Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River {{Buddhist-temple-stub