Thai Temple Art and Architecture

Photos by Abe V Rotor

Restored ancient temples showcase a rich history and culture of
the land of the free - Thailand, now a major tourists' destination.

Showing respect before entering the Viharn, the most sacred

part of the temple where the Buddha is adored and venerated.

Icons of Buddha depict different periods and regions
of Buddhism, as well as the nature of petitions of worshipers.

Ancient temples such as this, dot the whole region of the so-called Golden
Triangle where Buddhism is the dominant religion for centuries.

Chedi or stupa is in the form of a bell-shaped tower. It contains a relic chamber.
At the background are modified Prang, Thai version of Khmer temple towers.

A typical Wat Thai (loosely translated as monastery or temple) has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world. A Thai temple, with few exceptions, consists of two parts: The Phuttha-wat and the Sangha-wat.

The architecture of a Wat has seen many changes in Thailand in the course of history. Although there are many differences in lay-out and style, they all adhere to the same principals.

The Phutthawat

The Phutthawat is the area which is dedicated to Buddha. It generally contains several buildings:

• Chedi - also known as a stupa is mostly seen in the form of a bell-shaped tower, often accessible and covered with gold leaf, containing a relic chamber.

• Prang - the Thai version of Kmer temple towers, mostly seen in temples from the Sukhothai and the Ayutthaya period.

• Ubosoth or Bot – the Ordination Hall and most sacred area of a Wat. Eight Sema stones (Bai Sema) mark the consecrated area.

• Viharn in Thai temples this designates a shrine hall that contains the principal Buddha images; it is the assembly hall where monks and believers congregate.

• Hor Trai - the Temple Library or Scriptures Depository houses the sacred Tipitaka scriptures. Sometimes they are built in the form of a Mondop, a cubical-shaped building where the pyramidal roof is carried by columns.

• Sala - an open pavilion providing shade and a place to rest.

• Sala Kan Prian - a large, open hall where lay people can hear sermons or receive religious education. It literally means "Hall, in which monks study for their Prian exam" and is used for saying afternoon prayers.

• Hor Rakang - the bell tower is used for waking the monks and to announce the morning and evening ceremonies.

• Phra Rabieng - a peristyle is sometimes built around the sacred inner area as a cloister.

• Additional buildings can also be found inside the Phuttawat area, depending on local needs, such as a crematorium or a school.

The Sanghawat

These temples are distinctly Thai in art and design,
in spite of strong influence within the region.

The Sanghawat contains the living quarters of the monks. It also lies within the wall surrounding the whole temple compound. The sanghawat area can have the following buildings:

• Kuti - originally a small structure, built on stilts, designed to house a monk. Modern kutis take on the shape of an apartment building with small rooms for the monks.

• The sanghawat can also contain the 'Hor Rakang' (bell tower) and even the 'Sala Kan Prian' (sermon hall).

• It houses most of the functional buildings such as a kitchen building where food can be prepared by lay people, and sanitary buildings.

Influence of Hindu is shown in this icon

Influence of Indian religion.

Chinese influence is evident in this icon
guarding a Thai temple.

Popular Temple Icons

During the 10th century, Thai Theravada Buddhism and Hindu cultures merged, and Hindu elements were introduced into Thai iconography. Popular figures include the four-armed figure of Vishnu; the garuda Vishnus; the garuda (half man, half bird); the eight-armed Shiva; elephant-headed Ganesh; the nanañga which appears as a snake, dragon or cobra; and the ghost-banishing giant Yaksa.

This giant icon stands tall beside a Thai temple

References: Wikipedia, Thailand Tourism brochures.

Krung Thon Bridge across the Chao Phraya River

Abe V Rotor

Towers of the Krung Thon Bridge, Bangkok, Thailand.

Harp Bridge

I wish I were Gulliver to make you into a harp;
Together we make the most beautiful music;
Away from the maddening crowd, or the world asleep;
And we shall rise to the spirit of an art,
And span across the valley where life's not brief.~


Living with Nature 3, AVR

Moon and Tree

Abe V Rotor

Photo taken along the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok. The tree is dita'
(Alstonia scholaris) in deciduous stage.


The moon found company,
with a leafless tree,
in the land of the free -
believe me, this is poetry.

Living with Nature 3, AVR

Icarus

Abe V Rotor

View of Ninoy Aquino International Airport on take off.

On a jet plane I'm Icarus,
fallen god - Homo sapiens.~

Light from the Old Arch 2, AVR

Tamarind Bonsai

Abe V Rotor

View of the Grand Palace from beneath a bonsai
tamarind tree. Bangkok, Thailand

Bonsai tamarind trees in conical shape line the main
avenue to the Grand Palace.

Closeup of the fruiting bonsai tree.

When I saw the tamarind bonsai, it flashed into my mind the story of a wise man from the Orient who was asked, "What tree lives the longest?" to which he confidently answered, "The bonsai."

About the same time a scientist from California was asked of the same question. To which he replied with scientific authority, "The Sequoia."

For a long time the world debated about the issue. I found myself a fence sitter in my college days. Until I became a biologist.

Centuries old bonsai trees grace many parks and homes in China, Japan and Korea, the origin of the art of dwarfing plants into what we know today as bonsai. They are of course minuscule to the giant Sequoia or redwoods in western United States which stand twenty to thirty storeys high.

Some of these trees were already bearing cones at the time of Christ. That's more than 2000 years ago. So these trees held the record for a long time. Until...

The record gave way to gnarled dwarf trees, among them the Bristlecone, living on windswept rocky shores in the Mediterranean and other parts of the world where conditions of survival are extremely difficult.

Which brings about the puzzle - what really is the key to longevity?

I examined the tamarind bonsai in Thailand. Why they are pampered with care! By man, under the rule of monarchy.

I read extensively about the redwoods. Why they are pampered by nature! They dominate the ground, space and sky. They are the monarchs of the forest.

And neither gives the convincing answer to the puzzle.

It is because the longest living tree, the Bristlecone, is left all by itself to fend itself against the extreme conditions of the environment.

This strengthened by belief that natural resistance is the key to survival and longevity. It is natural resistance that enables the organism to survive and to live long. And here are the premises.

1. Controlled growth reduces need for food, water, space and nutrients.

2. Metabolism is slowed down when these requirements for growth and development are placed under restrictive control.

3. Extreme conditions "temper" organisms. Tempering is hardening of cells, tissues and organs, basically the protoplasm.

4. Tropisms are likewise honed under extreme conditions. Roots penetrate deeper to reach the source of water. Phototropism encourages the plant to reach out for the sun, chemotropism triggers survival tools such as chemical secretion. Latex and resin are protective substances.

5. On the cell level, slower cell division lengthens life. Fast multiplying cells are shorter lived than slow multiplying ones. Chromosomes get shorter every time the cell multiplies, their telomeres shrink every time the cell divides. This leads to faster senility and early demise of the cell. These premises I believe, hold the key to the so-called "green thumb" in the bonsai expert.

These premises are found in the giant Sequoia, although its size is deceiving. The truth is that the old Sequoia, like the bonsai, has reached virtual dormancy. Any organism in a state of dormancy or torpor undergoes very slow metabolism, which contributes to long life.

Beside, the Sequoia has other advantages in its natural habitat. It produces resin as a survival tool sealing off its attackers and healing the wound that they inflict. Here too, the Sequoia exhibits natural rejuvenation. It can recover from injuries to a point that a new tree may grow from the trunk and roots of a fallen one, like a tiller arising from its parent. It is natural tissue culture. Which leads us to the question, When does longevity end, when does it start?

I examined the bonsai tamarind trees and made reference to these factors. Well, I estimated their age to be about two centuries or so. Which is confirmed by the history of the Grand Palace. I compared them with the two bonsai tamarind trees at home which have shrunk into two-foot shrubs. An kindly old lady entrusted them under my care fifty years ago. Under natural condition tamarind grows into a very large tree.

This comparison points out that organisms of the same species don't only grow into different sizes in nature - they are actually controlled. More food and they grow fast and big, probably lanky and weak. On the other hand, starved them and they will become dwarf. Hardened and tough, and they live long.

On hind sight, does this hypothesis apply to animals? To humans? If so, then deprivation and exposure to adverse conditions - and not a bountiful life - is the key to long life.

Indeed, longevity is a mystery. ~

Living with Nature 3, AVR (All Rights Reserved)

Miracle is a Leaf

Talisay or Umbrella Tree (Terminalia catappa)

Abe V Rotor

Could there be more natural a feeling
Than being a part of the seasons rolling?
The first leaf, the last rose of summer,
Monsoon waking the frogs in slumber
Are indeed life's best things to offer
The miracle that unfolds a new leaf
Makes it golden too, in time so brief.~


Don't Cut the Trees, Don't! AVR-UST (All Rights Reserved)

God speaks through Nature