Wat Sam Phraya ( th, วัดสามพระยา) is a Thai royal temple of the third class, located in Wat Sam Phraya Sub-district, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok. Formerly called Wat Sak or Wat Bang Khun Phrom, it was presumably built in the

Ayutthaya period 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 ...

. It was restored and given its present name in the Bangkok era.

History

During the reign of King

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 ...

(1782-1809 CE), Luang Wisut Yothamart (Troos) dedicated the land and houses of his deceased younger brother Khun Phrom (Sarat) as a temple in his memory, and it was named Bang Khun Phrom Temple. During the reign of King

Rama III Nangklao ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, ; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), birth name Thap ( th, ทับ), also styled Rama III, was the third king of Siam ...

, the temple had fallen to ruins.

Phraya The Thai nobility was a social class comprising titled officials (''khunnang'', th, ขุนนาง) in the service of Thai monarchy, the monarchy. They formed part of a hierarchical social system which developed from the time of the Ayutthaya K ...

Raja Supawadee (Khun Thong), Phraya Rachikul (Thong) and Phraya Thep Worachun (Thong Pak), who were the sons of Mrs. Phawa, the youngest sister of Luang Wisut Yothamat and Khun Phrom, jointly renovated the temple. When the three phraya offered the temple to King Rama III, he bestowed it the name "Sam Phraya Temple" (Temple of the Three Lords) and raised it to the status of a royal temple in the year 1823 CE (2366 BE).

Structures

The

ordination hall 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 ...

(''ubosot'' in Thai) is a brick building with a double-tiered roof clad in Chinese glazed tiles. The main Buddha image of the temple is called Luang Pho Phra Phutta Keson. The interior walls are painted in a floral pattern. A

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

, depicting

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

s and

phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

in gold, runs along the top of the walls. The sections between the windows depict offering tables in a Chinese style. The ceremony hall is a brick building with 2-tiers of roof tiles, decorated with Chinese plates and patterns. A total of twenty-five

stupas A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Bhikkhu, Buddhist monks or Bhikkhuni, nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In ...

lie within and around the enclosure of the ordination hall.วัดสามพระยา from http://www.resource.lib.su.ac.th/

Gallery

Wat Sam Phraya 20190215 120859.jpg, The ordination hall of Wat Sam Phraya Wat Sam Phraya 20190215 120354.jpg, The sections of wall in between windows inside the ordination hall Wat Sam Phraya 20190215 120346.jpg, Showing the frieze and ceiling of the ordination hall Wat Sam Phraya 20190215 120231.jpg, The main Buddha image in the temple Wat Sam Phraya 20190215 120420.jpg, Luang Po Phra Phut Keson Wat Sam Phraya 20190215 120841.jpg, Decorations on the exterior of the ordination hall

References

Sam Phraya Religious buildings and structures completed in 1823 Phra Nakhon district Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok {{Bangkok-stub