Wat Bowonniwet Vihara

Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
View of the temple
Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Location within Bangkok 13°45′34″N 100°30′4″E
Information
Denomination	Thammayut Buddhism
Country	Thailand
Coordinates
Website	http://www.watbowon.org
Portal:Buddhism

Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Rajavaravihara (Thai: วัดบวรนิเวศวิหารราชวรวิหาร; RTGS: Wat Bowon Niwet Wihan Ratchaworawihan, IPA: [wát bɔwɔːn níʔwêːt wíʔhǎːn râːttɕʰawɔːráʔwíʔhǎːn]) is a major Buddhist temple (wat) in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is a center of the Thammayut Nikaya school of Thai Theravada Buddhism and has been a major temple of patronage for the Chakri dynasty. It is the shrine-hall of Phra Phutthachinasi (พระพุทธชินสีห์) which was moulded in about 1357. It is where many royal princes studied and served their monkhood, including king Bhumibol.

Royal patronage

Prince Bhikkhu Mongkut arrived at the temple in 1836 (ordination name: Vajirañāṇo) and became the first abbot. He later acceeded to the throne of Siam as King Rama IV. His great grandson, King Bhumibol Adulyadej ordained at the Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) and resided here for a short period after he became King. Bhumibol's mentor, Somdet Phra Yanasangworn, eventually became abbot of the temple, and later, the Supreme Patriarch of Thai Buddhism. Exiled dictator Thanom Kittikachorn returned to Thailand as a novice monk to join Wat Bowonniwet leading to large public demonstrations and a bloody crackdown in October 1976. King Bhumibol Adulyadej's son, Prince Vajiralongkorn was ordained and spent a short period at this temple, as well as several of the Prince's own sons.

Architecture

The golden chedi at the wat's shrine carries the relics and ashes of Thai royalty. The two viharas are closed to public. The T-shaped bot holds a magnificent Sukothai period Buddha, cast in 1257 A.D. to celebrate freedeom from Khymers. The imaginary 3-dimensional murals on the bot's interior walls were traditionally light and limited in their subject matter and style. Monk artist Khrua In Khong introduced western style in the murals depicting Buddhist topics.

Media

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  Statue of King Rama IV in a niche at Wat Bowonniwet

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  Symbol of King Rama IV. on the gable-board of ubosoth at Wat Bowonniwet, Bangkok

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  Phra Puttha Chinarat, Wat Bowonniwet

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  Phra Tamnak Phet (Royal Diamond Residence)

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  Buddha's footprint in Wat Bowonniwet, Bangkok

References

• Liedtke, Marcel (2011), Thailand- The East (English Edition), Norderstedt: Books on Demand GmbH, ISBN 978-3-8423-7029-6 
• Macdonald, Phil (2009), National Geographic Traveler Thailand, England: National Geographic Society, ISBN 978-1-4262-0408-1 
• Hoskin, John (2006), Thailand, London: New Hollands Publishers (UK) Ltd, ISBN 978-1-4262-0408-1 
• Williams, China, Thailand, Lonely Planet 

• DhammaThai.org A Guide to Meditation Centres in Thailand: Wat Bovornives Vihara, last retrieved 15 September 2006