Wat Ratchapradit Sathit Mahasimaram Ratcha Wora Maha Viharn () is a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

in the Phra Nakhon District of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. Wat Ratchaparadit was designated a first-class royal monastery in 1915, making it one of the most significant temples in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. The temple is located on Rachini Road, south of

Saranrom Palace Saranrom Royal Palace () is a former palace in Bangkok, Thailand, located between Grand Palace and Wat Ratchapradit. It served as temporary residence for some princes and as lodging for royal guests. It is now the site of the Museum of the Min ...

, next to the Privy Council chambers and near the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace (, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. . ) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the officia ...

, its main entrance is on Saranrom Road. Wat Ratchabopit is located diagonally across the Khlong Khu Mueang Derm (also Khlong Lot) on

Rattanakosin Island Rattanakosin Island (, , ) is a historic area in the Phra Nakhon District in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River to the west and various canals to the east that were dug to serve as moats for what was originall ...

History

The land on which the temple now stands was formerly designated by King

Nangklao Nangklao (born Thap; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), also known by his regnal name Rama III, was the third Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 21 July 1824 to 2 April 1851. Nangklao was the eldest surviving ...

(Rama III) as a

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

plantation. However, after his death, his successor King

Mongkut Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868. The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization ini ...

(Rama IV) decided to build a temple on the land instead. According to King Mongkut the three principal temples in the old capital city of

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locall ...

were; Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Rachapradit. Ever since the establishment of Bangkok as the

capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...

in 1782, only two temples with those names were built; Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratchaburana. The king was determined therefore to build a temple with the name Wat Rachapradit for the people of Bangkok. The king encountered a problem when he found the land too soft, being next to a canal. To solve this problem the king decide to host a public performance of Thai traditional dance on the site. The cost of admission being an empty garlic jar per audience. These garlic jars were then collected and used by the king's workmen as the foundation of the main

ordination hall The ordination hall (Pali: ''sīmā'') is a Buddhist building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual (''upasampadā'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Pāṭimokkha. ...

of the temple. Construction began in 1864 and was completed seven months later. The temple's full name as given by the king was ''Wat Ratchapradit Sathit Mahasimaram''. As the temple's first

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

, the king appointed Sa Pussadeva, a monk from

Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Wat Bowaniwet Wihan Ratchaworawihan (; , ) is a major Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. Being the residence of Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana, the late Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, it is the final resting place of ...

. A member of the

Dhammayuttika Dhammayuttika Nikāya (Pali language, Pali; ; ; , ), or Dhammayut Order (), is an Buddhist monasticism, order of Theravada Buddhist ''bhikkhus'' (monks) in Buddhism in Thailand, Thailand, Buddhism in Cambodia, Cambodia, and Buddhism in Myanmar, ...

sect, the abbot made Wat Rachapradit the sect's first temple. In 1893 King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

(Rama V) would make the abbot

Supreme Patriarch Sangharaja (Pāli: ''sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' t ...

Structures

The main structure is the ''Phra Viharn Luang'' (), it is both a

Vihāra Vihāra generally refers to a Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery for Buddhist renunciates, mostly in the Indian subcontinent. The concept is ancient and in early Pali texts, it meant any arrangement of space or facilities for dwellings.

and an

. Situated on a raised platform the Phra Viharn Luang is covered on the outside with grey marble tiles. The pediment depicts a golden royal crown on a blue glass background, the crown was the emblem of King Mongkut. The central door and two windows on either side are framed in gilded teak. Above them are traditional crown-shaped pediments, an allusion to the king's emblem. Inside are murals painted in the reign of King Chulalongkorn, depicting royal festivals of the twelve months. The main

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

image is a replica of the

Phra Phuttha Sihing The Phra Phuttha Sihing () is a highly revered image of the Gautama Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand, second in importance only after the Emerald Buddha. The image is currently housed at the Phutthaisawan Hall (formerly a part of the Front Palace), no ...

, underneath it are interred the ashes of King Mongkut. On the wall opposite the Buddha image is a mural depicting King Mongkut watching the

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during the eclipse season i ...

at Wakor village,

Prachuap Khiri Khan Province Prachuap Khiri Khan (, ) is one of the western Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It is in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, some south of Bangkok. Neighboring provinces include Phetchaburi province, Phetchabu ...

on 18 August 1868. The ''Pasana Chedi'' () or the 'Stone Chedi' is a large Sri-Lankan style

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

, which is situated behind the Phra Viharn Luang. The stupa is covered in grey marbles tiles and was built by King Mongkut. On either side of the Phra Viharn Luang are two almost identical white shrines, with a

prang Prang may refer to: Places * Prang, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a town of Charsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan * Prang Besar, an old name for Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia * Prang Ghar Tehsil or Pran Ghar Subdivision, a subdivis ...

-style spire on the top, these are termed prasat and denote specially royal or sacred buildings. The eastern shrine is the ''

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 ...

'' () or the library of sacred texts. The pediment features scenes of the Buddha's birth and his passing into

Parinirvana In Buddhism, ''Parinirvana'' (Sanskrit: '; Pali: ') describes the state entered after death by someone who has attained '' nirvana'' during their lifetime. It implies a release from '' '', karma and rebirth as well as the dissolution of the '' ...

(death). To the west is the ''Ho Phra Chom'' (), decorated with the faces of

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

on four sides. Inside the shrine is a life-sized statue of King Mongkut in gilded bronze. around these main buildings are smaller stupas containing relics of various monks including the temple's first abbot. Like the two shrines, these smaller stupas were built during the reign of King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and pro ...

(Rama VI), in the early 20th century.

Gallery

File:วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (39).jpg, Through the gate of the temple and the front of the Phra Viharn Luang File:วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (36).jpg, The pediment depicting a royal crown, the symbol of King Mongkut File:Phra Phuttha Sihing in Wat Ratchapradit.jpg, Principal Buddha image inside the Phra Viharn Luang, a replica of the sacred

File:จิตรกรรม รัชกาลที ๔ ทอดพระเนตรสุริยุปราคา King Rama IV seeing Sun Eclipse.jpg, A mural depicting King Mongkut looking through a telescope File:Stupa in Wat Ratchapradit.jpg, The Pasana Chedi covered in grey marble tiles File:Watrajpraditbkk0605c.jpg, Ho Trai pediment depicting the birth of the Buddha File:วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (28).jpg, Ho Phra Chom with the faces of Brahma File:พระบรมรูป รัชกาลที่ ๔ วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมาราม Statue of King Rama IV.jpg, The life-sized statue of King Mongkut File:วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (17).jpg, A statue of Ariyavangsagatayana (Sa Pussadeva), the first abbot of this temple

References

External links

Dhammathai: Wat Ratchapradit Sathitmahasimaram Rajawarawiharn
* (Thai) {{Tourist attractions in Bangkok Ratchapradit Phra Nakhon district Ratchapradit 1860s in Siam 1864 establishments in Siam Religious buildings and structures completed in 1864 Thai Dhammayut Buddhist temples Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok

History

Structures

Gallery

See also

References

External links