The ''mondop'' (, from

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

) is a building form in traditional Thai religious architecture featuring a square or

cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

building with a usually pointed roof. In the narrow sense, it refers to an enclosed square building with a roughly

pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...

al, multi-tiered roof culminating in a tall pointed

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

, with a roof structure very similar to the smaller '' busabok''. In the wider sense, the term may refer to religious buildings following a wide range of architectural styles, including historical structures more closely reflecting the Indic ''

mandapa A ''mandapa'' or ''mantapa'' () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture and Jain temple architecture. ''Mandapas'' are described as "open" or "closed" dependin ...

'', from which they are likely derived. ''Mondop'' may be used for various functions, including as

scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

halls (''

ho trai A ho trai () is the library 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 a ...

'') and for housing religious artefacts. Prominent examples include the library (Phra Mondop) at

Wat Phra Kaew Wat Phra Kaew (, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Wat, Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings ...

in Bangkok and the ''mondop'' covering the

Buddha footprint Buddha's footprints (Sanskrit: )( Tibetan: སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཞབས་རྗེས། )are Buddhist icons shaped like an imprint of Gautama Buddha's foot or both feet. There are two forms: natural, as found in stone or ro ...

Wat Phra Phutthabat Wat Phra Phutthabat () is a Buddhist temple in Saraburi, Thailand. Its name means "temple of Buddha's footprint", because it contains a natural depression believed to be a footprint of The Buddha. History Phra Phutthabat temple was built in ...

in Saraburi. The pointed roof structure can be found incorporated in the '' prasat'' architectural form, where it crowns a usually cruciform,

gabled roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its roof ridge, ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The roof pitch, p ...

References

{{reflist Architecture in Thailand Traditional Thai architecture Thai Buddhist art and architecture