Bell tower (wat)

A Hor Rakhang ( Thai: หอ ระฆัง ) is a bell tower in a Wat, a Buddhist temple in Thailand.

The bell tower evokes the temple - dwellers in the early morning and calls the monks to prayer and meals together. He also announced at noon, as it is the monks not allowed to take after twelve noon clock solid food.

In contrast to Western bells are swung back and forth, so that the clapper strikes the inside of the bell wall to bring it to sound a bell in Thailand is firmly attached. With a wooden stick she is struck from the outside, at first very slowly, then faster and faster. The end of the sequence, then one, two slow strokes.

In a Wat neither the position of the bell towers, yet their number is required. So there is at Wat Pho in Bangkok, for example, a bell tower in the neighborhood of the monks and two more in the actual temple district. The reason may be the sheer size of the entire complex.

• Drum Tower: instead of the bell is a large Thai drum here ( see, for example at Wat Benchamabophit in Bangkok )
• Gong Tower: the Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai a gong is used by about two meters in diameter instead of a bell.