Wat Ratchapradit Sathit Mahasimaram Ratcha Wora Maha Viharn ( th, วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร) 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 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 ...

. Wat Ratchaparadit was designated a first-class royal monastery in 1915, 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 located on Rachini Road, south of Saranrom Palace, next to the Privy Council chambers and near the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace ( th, พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. .) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Ban ...

, its main entrance is on Saranrom Road. Wat Ratchabopit is located diagonally across the Khlong Khu Mueang Derm (also Khlong Lot) on

Rattanakosin Island Rattanakosin Island ( th, เกาะรัตนโกสินทร์, , ) is a historic area in the Phra Nakhon District in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River to the west and various canals to the east t ...

History

The land on which the temple now stands was formerly designated by King

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

(Rama III) as a

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

plantation. However, after his death, his successor 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 ...

(Rama IV) decided to build a temple on the land instead. According to King Mongkut the three principal temples in the old capital 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 ...

were; Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Rachapradit. Ever since the establishment of Bangkok as the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...

in 1782, only two temples with those names were built; Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratchaburana. The king was determined therefore to build a temple with the name Wat Rachapradit for the people of Bangkok. The king encountered a problem when he found the land too soft, being next to a canal. To solve this problem the king decide to host a public performance of Thai traditional dance on the site. The cost of admission being an empty garlic jar per audience. These garlic jars were then collected and used by the king's workmen as the foundation of the main

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 ...

of the temple. Construction began in 1864 and was completed seven months later. The temple's full name as given by the king was ''Wat Ratchapradit Sathit Mahasimaram''. As the temple's first

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

, the king appointed Sa Pussadeva, a monk from

Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Wat Pavaranivesh Vihara Ratchawarawihan ( th, วัดบวรนิเวศวิหารราชวรวิหาร; , ) is a major Buddhist temple ('' wat'') in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. Being the residence of Nyanasamva ...

. A member of the

Dhammayuttika Dhammayuttika Nikāya (Pali language, Pali; th, ธรรมยุติกนิกาย; ; km, ធម្មយុត្តិកនិកាយ, ), or Dhammayut Order ( th, คณะธรรมยุต) is an Buddhist monasticism, order of ...

sect, the abbot made Wat Rachapradit the sect's first temple. In 1893 King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

(Rama V) would make the abbot

Supreme Patriarch Sangharaja ( Pāli: '' sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' ...

Structures

The main structure is the ''Phra Viharn Luang'' ( th, พระวิหารหลวง), it is both a

Vihāra Vihāra generally refers to a Buddhist monastery for Buddhist renunciates, mostly in the Indian subcontinent. The concept is ancient and in early Sanskrit and Pali texts, it meant any arrangement of space or facilities for dwellings . The term ev ...

and an

. Situated on a raise platform the Phra Viharn Luang is covered on the outside with grey marble tiles. The pediment depicts a golden royal crown on a blue glass background, the crown was the emblem of King Mongkut. The central door and two windows on either side are framed in gilded teak. Above them are traditional crown-shaped pediments, an allusion to the king's emblem. Inside are murals painted in the reign of King Chulalongkorn, depicting royal festivals of the twelve months. The main

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 ...

image is a replica of the

Phra Phuttha Sihing The Phra Phuttha Sihing ( th, พระพุทธสิหิงค์) is a highly revered image of the Gautama Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand, second in importance only after the Emerald Buddha. The image is currently housed at the Phutthaisawan ...

, underneath it are interred the ashes of King Mongkut. On the wall opposite the Buddha image is a mural depicting King Mongkut watching the

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...

at Wakor village, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province on 18 August 1868. The ''Pasana Chedi'' ( th, ปาสาณเจดีย์) or the 'Stone Chedi' is a large Sri-Lankan style

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

, which is situated behind the Phra Viharn Luang. The stupa is covered in grey marbles tiles and was built by King Mongkut. On either side of the Phra Viharn Luang are two almost identical white shrines, with a

prang Prang may refer to: Places * Prang, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a town of Charsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan *Prang Besar, an old name for Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia * Prang Ghar Tehsil or Pran Ghar Subdivision, a subdivisi ...

-style spire on the top, these are termed prasat and denote specially royal or sacred buildings. The eastern shrine is the ''

Ho Trai A ho trai ( th, หอไตร) is the library of a Thai Buddhist temple. A ho trai can come in different shapes and sizes. For many centuries, the sacred Tipiṭaka scriptures had been written on palm leaves. To preserve the scriptures aga ...

'' ( th, หอไตร) or the library of sacred texts. The pediment features scenes of the Buddha's birth and his passing into

Parinirvana In Buddhism, ''parinirvana'' (Sanskrit: '; Pali: ') is commonly used to refer to nirvana-after-death, which occurs upon the death of someone who has attained ''nirvana'' during their lifetime. It implies a release from '' '', karma and rebirth a ...

(death). To the west is the ''Ho Phra Chom'' ( th, หอพระจอม), decorated with the faces of

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

on four sides. Inside the shrine is a life-sized statue of King Mongkut in gilded bronze. around these main buildings are smaller stupas containing relics of various monks including the temple's first abbot. Like the two shrines, these smaller stupas were built 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 ...

(Rama VI), in the early 20th century.

Gallery

File:วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (39).jpg, Through the gate of the temple and the front of the Phra Viharn Luang File:วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (36).jpg, The pediment depicting a royal crown, the symbol of King Mongkut File:Phra Phuttha Sihing in Wat Ratchapradit.jpg, Principal Buddha image inside the Phra Viharn Luang, a replica of the sacred

File:จิตรกรรม รัชกาลที ๔ ทอดพระเนตรสุริยุปราคา King Rama IV seeing Sun Eclipse.jpg, A mural depicting King Mongkut looking through a telescope File:Stupa in Wat Ratchapradit.jpg, The Pasana Chedi covered in grey marble tiles File:Watrajpraditbkk0605c.jpg, Ho Trai pediment depicting the birth of the Buddha File:วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (28).jpg, Ho Phra Chom with the faces of Brahma File:พระบรมรูป รัชกาลที่ ๔ วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมาราม Statue of King Rama IV.jpg, The life-sized statue of King Mongkut

References

External links

Dhammathai: Wat Ratchapradit Sathitmahasimaram Rajawarawiharn
* (Thai) {{Tourist attractions in Bangkok Ratchapradit Phra Nakhon district Ratchapradit 1860s in Siam 1864 establishments in Siam Religious buildings and structures completed in 1864 Thai Dhammayut Buddhist temples Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok

History

Structures

Gallery

See also

References

External links