Buddhism is the religion of the Kingdom of Thailand, and many of Thailand's visitor attractions involve visiting some of the unique Buddha temples. For good reasons too, some of these temples are fabulous pieces of art;beautiful designs, vivid colors, and many beautiful statues.
The word wat in the Thai language is loosely translated to temple in English. But wat actually is more than just the temple , it refers to the courtyard containing a collection of buildings,shrines and monuments and enclosed by a wall. I enjoyed learning about some of these buildings, it made exploring the temples more enjoyable. Here are some of the terms one may encounter touring temples in Thailand:
Wiharn: the prayer or sermon hall of the temple. Some temples have more then one wiharn. It normally contains a large Buddha image, and many smaller images, and it is where worshipers perform their religious rituals.
Chedi:the domed solid structure like a pagoda or stupa.Inside or underneath the chedi is where relics of the Buddha, or a revered Buddhist teachers or monks are stored.
Ubosot : also called a bot and it is the ordination hall. It is hard to differentiate it from the wiharn to someone like me, because it too contains an altar with Buddha images. It is different,however, in that it is surrounded by sacred boundary stones(sema). In some temples, it is only open to monks.
Ho Trai: the library building.
Naga:mystical serpent like animal that according to the Buddhist scripts sheltered the Buddha during meditation. The Naga is often present at the beginning of a staircase to the temple.
Kuti:the monks quarters on the temple grounds, come in all sizes and shapes.
Chofas:horn or bird-like finials seen on the roof ridges of temples. They are very characteristic of the Thai temples and represent the head of mystical garuda.
Many temple grounds also have a banyan tree,distinguished by an orange monk cloth, or some other decorations, to symbolize the tree where Buddha attained enlightenment.
And finally, there is a gong, or many, that is used for announcements.Sometimes, it is in a gong tower.
In future posts, I will be writing about different temples we visited in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
Comments (7)
Beautiful and interesting pictures! Did they paint or decorate the aerial roots of the banyan tree?
Posted by Eden | June 8, 2009 2:10 AM
Posted on June 8, 2009 02:10
Wonderful post. Thanks for the definitions of terms and for the wonderful photos!
Angwar Wat (in Cambodia) is high on my travel wish list. But I didn't know what "wat" meant until I read your post. :)
Posted by Annie | June 8, 2009 7:11 AM
Posted on June 8, 2009 07:11
Hi Candi, very detailed and informative post. It's so interesting learning the terms used to describe things one might see when visiting these beautiful temples. I love all the beautiful photos you took!
Thank you so much for sharing and I am really looking forward to your next post. I'm finding your entries very interesting!
Have a great day!
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | June 8, 2009 8:50 AM
Posted on June 8, 2009 08:50
Very interesting and informative post, Candi. Looking forward to reading more about the temples.
Posted by María I. | June 8, 2009 10:25 AM
Posted on June 8, 2009 10:25
Eden, they are decorations. It was interesting because of the temples I visited , this one in Chiang Sean, had these unique roots decorations,others it was either Buddha statues or monks' orange cloths.
Annie, it is on my list too! Now that I've visited SE Asia and loved it, I am on a roll of places I want to see.
Kathy, thanks for the nice comments.I am glad you are enjoying my blabbing, I love doing it:)
Maria, I loved the temples in Thailand, just like I love churches in Italy.
Posted by candi | June 8, 2009 1:08 PM
Posted on June 8, 2009 13:08
I am impressed with how you learned so many terms that are related to the Buddha temples. Wonderful photos! I love how the banyon tree is decorated!
Posted by girasoli | June 10, 2009 3:05 AM
Posted on June 10, 2009 03:05
The picture with the chofas is so so so beautiful!! What a building!
Posted by Chiocciola | June 13, 2009 8:57 AM
Posted on June 13, 2009 08:57