Wat Nawamintararachutis ( th, วัดนวมินทรราชูทิศ) is a working Thai

Theravada ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

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 ...

or "

wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

" in

Raynham, Massachusetts Raynham () is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located approximately south of Boston and northeast of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 15,082 at the 2020 census. It has one village, Raynham Center. History ...

, which is about 45 minutes south of Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It is one of only a handful of Thai Buddhist temples in the United States with actual Thai Buddhist

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 dedica ...

in residence. Constructed on previously occupied by a farm, it opened its doors to the public in June 2014. It is one of two Thai temples in Massachusetts; the other one is

Wat Boston Buddha Vararam Wat Boston Buddha Vararam (Abbreviated BBVT) is a Thai Theravada Buddhist Temple or Wat located in Bedford, Massachusetts. It is one of two Thai Buddhist Temples in Massachusetts, the other being Wat Nawamintararachutis. The main community at ...

History

The ground breaking ceremony for the temple took place on 5–6 May 2011. Construction was scheduled to start late June – July 2011. The 110,000 square-foot temple was opened to the public in June 2014.

Description

The temple was designed by architect Been Z. Wang and features limestone from Jerusalem, concrete panels from Canada, Italian roofing tiles from Italy, and statues and light ornaments from Thailand. The temple can hold 700 people in the main worship space, and includes community rooms and lodging for monks and visitors, and a museum dedicated to King Bhumibol Adulyadej. A 4,000 lb statue of Buddha was placed in the building after completion. The temple was named Wat Nawamin in honour of King Rama IX of Thailand, who was born on 5 December 1927 near Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (at the Mount Auburn Hospital). At the time, the king's father lived in Brookline, Massachusetts and was a medical student at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

. The temple is considered to be the largest Thai Buddhist meditation center outside Thailand.Monks in their midst In a stretch of suburban Raynham, a community of ascetics is planning what may be the largest Thai Buddhist temple in the hemisphere
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References

External links

Opening ceremonies photo albumOfficial blogOfficial Website
Asian-American culture in Massachusetts Buddhist temples in Massachusetts Thai-American culture Thai Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries Overseas Thai Buddhist temples Buildings and structures in Bristol County, Massachusetts Raynham, Massachusetts {{Massachusetts-religious-struct-stub

History

Description

See also

References

External links