A ho trai () is the

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

of a Thai Buddhist temple. A ho trai can come in different shapes and sizes. For many centuries, the sacred Tipiṭaka scriptures had been written on palm leaves. To preserve the scriptures against humidity and against

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

s, the library was often built on

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

s to raise the storage from the ground. Bricks were preferably used in constructions to battle termites. Sometimes the ho trai would be built, especially for this reason, above man-made ponds. Traditionally, the Tipiṭaka scriptures consisted of individual palm leaves, each measuring around in length and around in width. They were perforated and threaded in order to combine them in stacks of 20 to 40 pages. These stacks are kept pressed between two pieces of teakwood which is then wrapped in cloth and stored in a special bookcase. These bookcases are sometimes exquisitely crafted with

mother-of-pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother-of-pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer. It is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

inlay or with

gold leaf upA gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m2 (5.4 sq ft). The Japan.html" ;"title="Toi gold mine museum, Japan">Toi gold mine museum, Japan. Gold leaf is gold that has ...

applied on black lacquer. Beautiful examples of bookcases can be seen in the

Bangkok National Museum The Bangkok National Museum (, ') is the main branch museum of the National Museum (Thailand), National Museums in Thailand and also one of the largest museums in Southeast Asia. It features exhibits of Thai art and History of Thailand, history ...

. Modern Tipiṭaka are now printed as books.

Gallery

File:Phetchaburiwysuwannaram9011.jpg, The ''Ho trai'' of Wat Yai Suwannaram in Phetchaburi built above a pond File:Chedi_et_Haw_Trai,_Wat_Hua_Khuang.JPG, The ''Ho trai'' of Wat Hua Khuang in Nan File:Tungsrimuanglibrary.jpg, The ''Ho trai'' of Wat Tung Sri Muang in

Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani (, ) is one of the four main cities in Thailand's Isan region, alongside Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat), Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen, collectively known as the "big four of Isan." Located on the Mun River in the southeastern Isan, ...

File:Watrakhanghortrai052000b.jpg, The interior of the ''Ho trai'' of Wat Rakhang, Khet Bangkok Noi, Bangkok File:Ho trai Wat Apson Sawan (I).jpg, The "Ho trai" of Wat Apson Sawan, khet Phasi Charoen, Bangkok

Gallery

See also