Wat Chet Yot
Wat Chet Yot ( Thai: วัด เจ็ด ยอด, original name: Wat Maha Wihan Photharam - วัด โพธาราม มหา วิหาร ) is a Buddhist temple ( Wat ) in Chiang Mai in the northern region of Thailand.
Location
Wat Chet Yot is located northwest from the city Chiang Mai on Super Highway Chiang Mai - Lampang ( " National Road 11"), north of the intersection of Huai Kaeo and Nimmanhemin Road.
Architectural History
Construction of the temple was commissioned in 1455 by King Tilokarat in order after he had sent monks to Bagan to study the design of the local Mahabodhi temple, which in turn is a copy of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya in northern India.
After Jinakālamālī Chronicle of the King shall planted a Bodhi tree in 1455 here and have " a large sanctuary in the monastery " built in 1476, probably around the 2000 anniversary celebration of Buddhism to commit here. For the following year, 1477, the Eighth was Buddhist Wat Chet Yot in the World Council held to renew the Tripitaka, the Buddhist Pali Canon.
Temple structure
The Wihan Maha Pho
The design of the central sanctuary of the Maha Wihan Pho (also: Maha Chedi มหา เจดีย์ ) actually resembles something the Mahabodhi Temple, the Indian style is clearly seen. On the flat roof of the rectangular, windowless building are the seven tips ( Thai: Chet Yot ), who gave the name of the temple: a pyramidal tower with a square base centered slightly offset to the rear with four scaled versions of the four corners and two bell-shaped Chedis forward on the two small side wings.
Within the building there is a barrel-shaped passage at the end of a Buddha statue sitting. Right and left of the Buddha figure in each case leads a narrow stairway to the roof. Sooner is to meet on the roof a Bodhi tree, which, however, was in 1910 removed to keep the structure from collapsing.
On the outer walls are 70, some heavily weathered stucco reliefs of Thewada, divine beings who shall dwell in the heavenly realms. Their faces said to have been modeled after people from King Tilokarats relationship.
Other buildings
On the spacious temple grounds three more Chedis are Lanna style (also: Prasat style): on a cube- shaped base with alcove on the four sides in which are Buddha figures, there is a bell-shaped stupa. In the largest of the three Chedis the ashes of King Tilokarat is buried.
In the northeast corner of the temple grounds is a small ubosot with a tympanum made of fine wood carving work.
In the western part of the site a few Buddha statues are placed with different hand positions ( mudra). Signboards in English to give explanations.
- Impressions from the temple grounds
Chedi Animisa
Chedi Animisa
Wood carving on the gable board of ubosot
Pilgrimage
Wat Chet Yot is also the goal of a pilgrimage for people who were born in the Year of the Snake.
A slightly different type of pilgrimage can also be performed in the temple, a visit to the Seven Great stations ( สัต ต มา หา สถาน, Satta Mahasathan ). The seven stations are available for an event that should have taken place after Thai Buddhist legends directly after the enlightenment of the Buddha, respectively. You are at important Buddhist holidays - such as the Visakha Bucha - Holiday - visited in turn.
A similar plant of the Seven Great stations located in several Thai temples, such as the Wat Suthat in Bangkok.
The Seven Great stations of Wat Chet Yot should already have been created by King Tilokarat. The king built for each station a small Chedi on the temple grounds. In each Chedi, a Buddha statue was with a certain hand gesture ( mudra) that matched the respective station. However, of most today is only the foundation to see, even the pond to the east of the plant is still to be seen.