Wat Chai Watthanaram
The Wat Chaiwatthanaram ( Thai วัด ไชย วัฒนา ราม ) is a Buddhist temple ( Wat ) in historical park Ayuthaya, central Thailand.
Location
The Wat Chaiwatthanaram lies on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, south west of the old city of Ayutthaya. It is a large facility which is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. They can be reached via the wide road 3263. There is also a nearby boat dock here.
Architectural History
The temple was built by King Prasat Thong in 1630 as the first temple of his reign, on the site of his mother's residence. It shows a central, 35 -meter high prang in Khmer style ( Thai: พระ ปราง ด์ ประธาน ) with four smaller Prang, standing together on a square platform. About halfway is located on the four sides of the main Prang Blind inputs, which lead up steep stairs.
The central platform is surrounded by eight chapels in the form of chedi ( Thai: เมรุ ทิศ เมรุ ราย - Meru Thit Meru Rai ), passing through a square cloister ( Phra Rabieng ) are connected. The cloister had several lateral entrances and was originally roofed and open inwards, today are only the foundations of the columns and the perimeter wall. Along the wall there were 120 seated Buddha statues that were probably provided with black lacquer gold ornaments.
The eight chedi -like chapels are designed in a unique form, the royal combustion storms ( Meru ) could have looked like the Ayutthaya period. They had decorated on the interior walls paintings, the outer walls were 12 of stucco reliefs with scenes from the life of Buddha ( Jataka ), which had to be "read" in a clockwise direction. The paintings and the reliefs are only preserved in fragments. In the four corner Chedis there were two, in the middle four Chedis each a large seated Buddha statue in " Royal Regalia ", probably also provided with black gold lacquer painting. The coffered ceiling above these statues made of wood and was decorated with golden stars on black lacquer.
Outside the cloister was located to the east towards the river hosted the ordination hall ( Phra ubosot ) of the temple. North and south of ubosot were two chedi with " 12 indented corners " ( Thai: เจดีย์ อ มุม สิบ สอง ) in which probably is the ashes of the mother of King Prasat Thong. The entire ensemble is surrounded by a triple brick wall.
After the total destruction of the old capital ( Thai: กรุง เก่า - Krung Kao) in 1767, which also was not spared this temple, Wat Chaiwatthanaram was abandoned. Looting, selling bricks from the ruins and the decapitation of Buddha statues was a common practice. Only in 1987 a restoration was undertaken by the Thai Fine Arts Department. In 1992, the renovated public temple was handed over.
Use
Wat Chaiwatthanaram was a royal temple. Here religious ceremonies were performed by the king and his descendants in many cases, so that in the time of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya several renovations were made. Here also the cremation of deceased princes and princesses took place, for example, the body of his son Chaofa Thammathibet ( เจา ฟา ธรรม ธิ เบ ศร ) and his first concubine was built here by King Boromakot cremated (see: Thai literature).
Symbolism
The floor plan of Wat Chaiwatthanaram reflects the Buddhist worldview as the " Three Worlds of King Ruang " was written in the 14th century in the Phra Ruang Traiphum, :
The standing in the middle, big " Prang Prathan " symbolizes the mountain Meru ( Thai: เขา พระสุเมรุ - Khao Phra Sumen ), the central axis of the traditional world - represents ( Kamaphum กาม ภูมิ ). Around it lie the four continents ( the four smaller Prang ), which in the four directions in the ocean ( นที สีทันดร ) swim. Is called on one of the continents, the Chomphutawip ( ชมพูทวีป ), people live. The square cloister, finally, the outer boundary of the world through the " Iron Mountains " ( กำแพง จักรวาล ).
Wat Chaiwatthanaram seen from the river
View along the Phra Rabieng with a " Meru Rai "
Ubosot (front) and main Prang (in the background )