Wat Phra Si Mahathat Wora Maha Viharn ( th, วัดพระศรีมหาธาตุวรมหาวิหาร) 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 A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in the Bang Khen 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 ...

. Construction began in 20 March 1941 in commemoration of the government victory over the Boworadet rebellion in 1933. Wat Phra Si Mahathat was designated a first-class royal monastery in 1942, making it one of the most significant temples in

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 ...

. The temple is served by

Wat Phra Sri Mahathat BTS station Wat Phra Sri Mahathat Station (, , ) is a BTS Skytrain station, on the Sukhumvit Line in Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in front of Wat Phra Sri Mahathat and is above Lak Si Roundabout. It is one of the few stations on the line with an island ...

since June 2020.

History

Intended to be called ''Wat Prachathipatai'' ( th, วัดประชาธิปไตย: Temple of Democracy), the temple was the initiative of

Prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Plaek Phibunsongkhram Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram ( th, แปลก พิบูลสงคราม ; alternatively transcribed as ''Pibulsongkram'' or ''Pibulsonggram''; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964), locally known as Marshal P. ( th, จอมพล � ...

. The temple would be the first temple built by the state, after the introduction of democracy following the Siamese revolution of 1932. The temple would be built close the Constitution Defense Monument in Bang Khen District's Lak Si Circle, which was near the site of a battle between the government led by the Khana Ratsadon (People's Party) and royalists under Prince Boworadet in 1933. The temple is significant: "not only for the government to ideologically proclaim their victory over the conservative royalists, but also to symbolize the efforts by the People’s Party to shape the political landscape of the country." In 1940,

Thawan Thamrongnawasawat Thawan Thamrongnawasawat (also spelt ''Thawal Thamrongnavaswadhi'' or ''Thawal Thamrongnavasawat''; th, ถวัลย์ ธำรงนาวาสวัสดิ์, ; ), born Thawan Tharisawat (, ; 21 November 1901 – 3 December 1988), w ...

the Minister of Justice was made a special envoy and sent on a mission to

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. As result of this trip the minister received a piece of the Buddha's relic found at Dharmarajika Stupa,

Taxila Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and ...

, modern day

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Thawan also brought back five branches of the Bodhi Tree (at the Mahabodhi Temple) and some soil samples from various sacred Buddhist sites. The government decided to enshrined all of these relics at the temple and the temple's name was changed to ''Wat Phra Si Mahathat'' (Temple of the Sacred relics). In 1941 the government raised the status of the temple to that of a first-class royal monastery and the name was altered to ''Wat Phra Si Mahathat Wora Maha Viharn''. The construction of the temple was completed on 24 June 1942, precisely on the tenth anniversary of the revolution.

Gallery

File:ทุ่งบางเขน.jpg, Historical hotograph of the temple from above File:Wat Bangkok Thailand.jpg, View of the temple from above in 2001 File:วัดพระศรีมหาธาตุวรมหาวิหาร เขตบางเขน กรุงเทพมหานคร (5).jpg, The back of the vihara of the temple File:วัดพระศรีมหาธาตุวรมหาวิหาร เขตบางเขน กรุงเทพมหานคร (7).jpg, The great stupa of the temple File:พระบรมสารีริกธรตุ.jpg, Inside the great stupa, a smaller golden stupa containing the relics of the Buddha

References

External links

* * {{First-Class Royal Monasteries Phra Si Mahathat Bang Khen district Phra Si Mahathat 1940s in Thailand 1941 establishments in Thailand Religious buildings and structures completed in 1941 Thai Dhammayut Buddhist temples

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links