WAT SUTHAT

Description

Essentials about Wat Suthat in brief

With an area of about 40 hectares, Wat Suhat (in full Wat Suthat Thepwararam Ratchaworamahawihan) is not only one of the largest, but also one of the most interesting Buddhist temples in Bangkok. The temple is located in the old town in Phra Nakhon district. Directly in front of the temple is Sao Ching Cha, the “Giant Swing“.

The history of Wat Suthat

Historically, Wat Suhat dates back to King Rama I. When he ascended the throne of the Siamese Empire in 1782, he intended his new capital, Bangkok, to be a replica of the ancient capital, Ayutthaya, which had been completely destroyed by the Burmese 15 years earlier. The best artists, architects and craftsmen of the empire were to build the royal palace, the city walls, the city gates and the royal temples exactly according to the model of Ayutthaya.

The center of the then capital was chosen as the building site for the central temple. Both the plan of the whole complex and the architectural style of the buildings were to take into account Buddhist rules and symbolism and become a dignified showpiece of the whole country. In order to give the temple also a representative Buddha statue, a huge bronze statue from the temple Wat Mahathat, the main temple of the historical capital Sukhothai, was brought to Bangkok.

The foundation stone of the new temple was laid in 1807, and it was agreed to name the temple Wat Suthat Thepwararam, a reference to the divine city of the god Indra in the Tavatimsa sky. Two years later, the king died without witnessing the completion of the temple.

King Rama II continued the expansion. Being artistically talented himself, he personally lent a hand when the huge entrance doors of the wihan were to be decorated with carvings. The original door panels can now be seen in the Bangkok National Museum. The king also sent a Buddhist envoy to Sri Lanka to procure from Anuradhapura offshoots of the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha is said to have experienced his enlightenment. One offshoot was planted in Wat Suthat, another in Wat Mahathat and one in Wat Saket. The second king also died in 1824 before the temple construction was completed. It was not until 1843, almost 40 years after the foundation stone was laid, that Wat Suthat was inaugurated under King Rama III.

The complex of Wat Suthat

In the forecourt of the temple, there are a total of 28 tha, stone pagodas in Chinese style around the small Kampheng Kaeo (Jewel Wall). The pagodas are hexagonal buildings, each with six sections, each with small window-like openings with just enough space for a lantern. The pagodas are said to be reminiscent of the 28 Pacceka Buddhas described on the murals in the wihan.

The Wihan Luang, the Great Chapel, houses the Buddha statue Phra Si Sakyamuni. The building has a length of 126 meters and a width of 26 meters. At the four corners of the Wihan Luang are four smaller pavilions, the roof of which is supported on ten pillars. The roof of the wihan is covered with green and orange tiles, and the roof structure itself is supported by 32 pillars on the outside and eight on the inside. There are three entrance doors in the front and three in the back, and five windows in each side wall. The interior of Wihan Luang is decorated with murals. On the walls and between the windows are depicted the stories of the 28 Pacceka Buddhas, and on the pillars are scenes from the Traiphum (an ancient Thai cosmological treatise).

The sacred ordination hall (ubosot) has the reputation of being the most beautiful in all of Thailand. It is 72 meters high and 22 meters wide. Its roof is supported by 68 square columns. On the east as well as on the west side of the ubosot there are two entrance doors each, in the side walls there are 13 windows each, which let light into the interior of the sanctuary. King Rama III had ordered their construction in 1843. The main Buddha statue in the ubosot is Phra Phuttha Tri Lokachet. In front of the large statue sits another smaller statue surrounded by eighty disciples of the Buddha. The walls of the ubosot are completely covered from floor to ceiling with murals telling stories from Thai folklore.

Along the eastern perimeter mausoleum are Chinese geng shrines and special trees. They symbolize the Satta Mahasathan, the “Seven Great Stations” where, according to legend, the Buddha stayed in the following weeks after he attained enlightenment.