Wat Suthat Thepwararam ( th, วัดสุทัศนเทพวราราม, ) is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a royal temple of the first grade, one of ten such temples in Bangkok (23 in Thailand). Construction was begun by 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 ...

in 1807. In the beginning, it was initially called "Wat Maha Sutthawat" (วัดมหาสุทธาวาส) and was located in the

combretum ''Combretum'', the bushwillows or combretums, make up the type genus of the family Combretaceae. The genus comprises about 272 species of trees and shrubs, most of which are native to tropical and southern Africa, about 5 to Madagascar, but th ...

grove. Further construction and decorations were carried out by King

Rama II Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...

who helped carve the wooden doors, but the temple was not completed until 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 ...

in 1847 or 1848. This temple contains the

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 Phra Sri Sakyamuni ( th, พระศรีศากยมุนี; ) which have been moved from Sukhothai Province. At the lower terrace of the base, there are 28 Chinese

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

s which symbolize the 28 Buddhas born on this earth. Wat Suthat also contains Phra Buddha Trilokachet ( th, พระพุทธไตรโลกเชษฐ์; ) in 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 ...

(ordination hall) and Phra Buddha Setthamuni ( th, พระพุทธเศรษฐมุนี; ) in the Sala Kan Parian (meeting hall). In 2005, the temple was submitted to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

for consideration as a future

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Preta of Wat Suthat

The temple dating back to the beginning of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, it was a place where stories about

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by super ...

according to the beliefs of Buddhism and Siamese,

preta Preta ( sa, प्रेत, bo, ཡི་དྭགས་ ''yi dags''), also known as hungry ghost, is the Sanskrit name for a type of supernatural being described in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion as undergoing suffer ...

( th, เปรต, ''pret'') are often depicted as a tall

hungry ghost Hungry ghost is a concept in Buddhism, and Chinese traditional religion, representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. The terms ' literally "hungry ghost", are the Chinese translation of the term ''pret ...

with a thin body and a scary howling cry. It was said that it often appears in front of the temple at night. Until it was said that ''"Pret Wat Suthat"'' ( th, เปรตวัดสุทัศน์) in pair with ''"Raeng Wat Saket"'' ( th, แร้งวัดสระเกศ, "vultures of

Wat Saket Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan ( th, วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร, usually shortened to Wat Saket is a Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Bangkok, Thailand. The temple dates ba ...

"). However, it is believed that what people see as the preta of the Wat Suthat, probably comes from a misunderstanding about seeing the

Sao Chingcha The Giant Swing ( th, เสาชิงช้า, , ) is a religious structure in Sao Chingcha Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand. Located in front of Wat Suthat, it was formerly used in an old Brahmin ceremony, and is one ...

, or Giant Swing, a towering Hindu structure that stands in front of the temple at night with no more light. Besides, one mural in 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 ...

of this temple, also shows painting of one preta lying to feed water from the

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...

Gallery

File:2016 Bangkok, Dystrykt Phra Nakhon, Wat Suthat (34).jpg File:Ordinations hall (8418516493).jpg, Ordination hall Image:Wat Suthat Giant Swing.jpg, Wat Suthat and the

Giant Swing The Giant Swing ( th, เสาชิงช้า, , ) is a religious structure in Sao Chingcha Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand. Located in front of Wat Suthat, it was formerly used in an old Brahmin ceremony, and is one ...

File:Bangkok wat suthat 020.jpg File:วัดสุท้ศเทพวราราม213.jpg File:จิตรกรรม พระสงฆ์พิจารณาสังขารผีเปรต วัดสุทัศนเทพวราราม.jpg, A mural depicting a preta and procession of monks in the ordination hall File:Giant Swing 1.jpg, Wat Suthat (left) with

(right)

References

External links

A brief introduction
Suthat Phra Nakhon district Thai Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok 19th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1847 Religious buildings and structures completed in 1848 {{Bangkok-stub

Preta of Wat Suthat

Gallery

See also

References

External links