WAT MAHATHAT

Description

Essentials about Wat Mahathat in brief

Wat Mahathat Yuwarat Rangsarit Ratchaworamaha Wihan, usually just called Wat Mahathat for short, is one of the oldest and most beautiful Buddhist temples in Bangkok. It is a Royal Temple First Class and the most important center of the Mahanikai Order. Wat Mahathat is located in the middle of the old city of Bangkok, north of the Grand Palace. The Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya Buddhist University is also located on its grounds.

The history of Wat Mahathat

Wat Mahathat already existed at the time of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya built, so even before the foundation of Bangkok in 1782 by King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I). The temple, which was called Wat Salak at that time, was situated facing the Chao Phraya River between the two planned palaces of the king and his viceroy.

However, the spatial arrangement of the buildings of the old monastery disturbed the urban planning of the new capital of the Siamese kingdom. The city wall ran through the middle of the monastery, so that it was cut off from the river. Thus, the entire monastery was rebuilt from 1783 to make it worthy of its position between two royal palaces. The new temple faced east towards the King’s Square, and the monks’ apartments were built in the rear part of Wat Salak. The arrangement of the sacred buildings ubosot, wihan and mondop has not been changed since that time.

Over the centuries, the temple complex was rebuilt, renamed and renovated several times. In 1802, for example, the monastery was almost completely destroyed by fire. Mondop, wihan and ubosot burned to the ground. In 1844, King Nang Klao (Rama III) initiated the largest restoration work to date. In the process, all buildings were renewed according to their original construction plan.

In 1887, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) established a religious school at the monastery, which began classes in 1889. When the school was moved to another temple in 1898, the abbot established a new school in its place, which eventually became the Buddhist Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, now one of two government-run Buddhist universities in Thailand. Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University is affiliated with the Mahanikai Order and is considered the oldest theological university for Buddhist monks in Thailand.

The complex of Wat Mahathat

The beauty of a visit to Wat Mahathat is the wonderful silence that you can enjoy here in contrast to other, completely crowded temple complexes such as Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaeo in the Grand Palace. Relatively few tourists come here, which is why Wat Mahathat has remained a place of peace and meditation to this day.

The complex is quite spacious. There are several prangs (small towers in Khmer style), a large and several small wihan (a common meeting hall for the members of the order and the laity), a mondop (building with a square floor plan) with several Buddha figures and finally the most sacred building, the ubosot, which houses the largest seated Buddha in the complex. Particularly worth seeing is the Buddha Gallery, where there is a long row of large, gilded Buddha statues. At the back of the temple complex is a peaceful garden with palm trees.

The Meditation Centers and the Amulet Market at Wat Mahathat

Another special feature of Wat Mahathat are the meditation centers located on its premises, such as the Vipassana Meditation Center and the Meditation Study and Retreat Centre, where you can get an insight into Buddhism and learn various meditation techniques. There are even courses for foreigners offered in English.

Those who are not so enthusiastic about Buddhism still have a reason to go to Wat Mahathat. Every Sunday Bangkok’s largest amulet market takes place next to the temple. Here amulets and talismans are sold for every imaginable reason – be it more money, better health or unrequited love. So one should choose carefully.