3 Magnificent Temples

Magnificent Temples

Phetchaburi is an ideal place for temple enthusiasts to grasp the architectural wealth of the Kingdom of Thailand. This ancient town is often referred to as a “Living Ayutthaya”, considering that it remained quite intact whereas the former capital was plundered and burned during the war and dreadfully burned during the war with Burma. Exploring Petchaburi will therefore provide us with an effective means to go back to a bygone era and see what the architecture and religious art was like in the old days. The significant point to note is that traditional stucco art features prominently in decorating Phetchaburi temple to such an extent that it proves to be “Mueang Phet” craftmen’s identity.

Wat Mahathat Worawihan

As the name suggests, this royal temple seems to be Petchaburi’s most revered one and additionally the most recognisable local architectural structure on account of the Lord Buddha’s relics enshrined in the 42-metre Khmer-style spire made of laterite and later covered in the white plaster, which is surrounded by four smaller Prangs. That is the reason why it is also known as “Phra Prang Ha Yod” or five-peak Prangs. Although the

founding date of this temple is imprecise, it is estimated hat the Wat Mahathat dates back to the 11th or the 13th century. Opposite the main entrance stands the large Viharn, the assembly hall which houses the sacred “Luang Por Wat Mahathat”, a small Buddha image covered with gold leaf in subduing Mara posture carrying a praying fan in its left hand. The interior walls of this hall are richly adorned with colourful murals portraying scenes of daily life, battles and Buddhist stories. Next to the Viharn stands the Ubosot or ordination hall, which is relatively plain. However, the most striking feature of this temple consists in the front gable of the Viharn as well as the Ubosot decorated with intricate stucco works which are widely hailed as the masterpieces of the

“Mueang Phet School”.

Stucco reliefs depicting the Hindu God Vishnu riding the Garuda which captures Nagas on the front gable of the Ubosot are picturesque and regarded as genuine Petchaburi art.

Wat Yai Suwannaram

There is no doubt that the reputation of the so-called Wat Yai is unrivalled in various areas of the fine arts. This temple was erected during the late Ayutthaya period and underwent several renovations in the course of time. The largest scale of its restoration took place only in the reign of King Rama V the Great of the Rattanakosin period, with the result that the original artistic works of truly talented Ayutthaya masters can still be perceived. The historic building deserving close attention is the Sala Kanparian (multi-purpose hall) which King Sanphet VIII (Phra Chao Sua) of the Ayutthaya Kingdom had his younger brother’s teak wooden mansion dismantled, moved from the capital by boat and finally reconstructed for ecclesiastical use as a token of faith in the Supreme Patriarch “Somdej Chao Tangmo” on his return to his hometown. This large pavillion with multi-tiered roofs is decorated with intricately carved panels with gold leaf

1: Sala Kanparian, 2: Old mural painting 3 : Inside of Sala Kanparian, 4: Wall of chapel 5: The principal Buddha image

as well as coloured glass insets at the doorways and octagonal pillars with different gilded black lacquer motifs. The use of such adornments gives this hall its harmonious, polychromatic effect. It also houses a spacious spired wood pulpit which is reckoned to be one of the country’s finest preaching seats and served as a supporting base for enshrining the Royal Funerary Urn of King Rama IX the Great on the Royal Pavillion Song Dhamma, adjacent to the Royal Crematorium in 2017. The windowless ordination hall features lovely murals depicting golden foliage, congregation of celestial beings, the Mara and the efforts of his troops to tempt the Lord Buddha. Besides, a Thai house-style scripture library stands on 3 stilts in the middle of a large pond.

Wat Phra Phutthasaiyat

The Reclining Buddha temple or the Wat Phra Non stands at the foot of the Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park. It is assumed that this temple was established during the Ayutthaya period. The gilded stucco Buddha image is hollow inside and has its soles adorned with numerous red auspicious motifs such as a Prasat, Brahma God, multi-tiered umbrella, crown, alms bowl, water jar, conche-shell, elephant, etc… It measures approximately 43 metres long and is ranked 4th in Thailand. This Buddha image was originally situated outdoors. The Wat Phra Non was utterly abandoned until the reign of King Rama IV. He ordered to have a tin roof built as a shelter for the statue. It is in the reign of King Rama V the Great that the reclining Buddha was sheltered with tile roofing and encircled by the wall as seen today. 17 17