Fit for the kings

The story behind the favored temples of the Chakri dynasty

By Naruemon Chaiyakhan, IHT Thai Day, November 29, 2005

The Temple of Dawn was named by King Rama II after battling the Burmese.

Over time the public has come to associate certain temples with certain kings. "Temples that are praised as the kings' temples are usually the ones that the kings ordered the construction or restoration of, or showed a special interest in," explains Chulapassorn.

Panomvan Na Ayuddhaya, an academic at the Thailand Cultural Center, which stages performances and events.

He adds that there is no official announcement of a king's temple; the determination is made in the court of public opinion, after people consider the relationship of each king to each temple. Some kings made it easier to tell which their favorites were, leaving instructions in their will to keep some of their ashes at one wat or another.

But the informal designation is not always clear-cut. Below are the kings' temples of the Chakri dynasty, and the story behind each pairing.

King Rama I

People often mistakenly believe that the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is the temple of King Rama I, as it was built during his reign. In fact, it is Wat Pho, which was built during the Ayutthaya period.

The reason is that the King made a great restoration of the temple in 1788, which took about seven years and reestablished the place as a royal monastery situated behind the Grand Palace. Some of the King’s ashes are kept under the pedestal of the principal Buddha image in the main hall of worship, or ubosot.

The temple underwent another major restoration during the reign of King Rama III, which took 16 years to complete. His ambition was to use Wat Pho as a center of knowledge and art – in a sense, Thailand’s first university. One could see treatises on various subjects inscribed on marble slabs.

Of the nearly 100 pagodas in Wat Pho, the highlight is the Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakan, a group of four huge pagodas representing the first four kings of the Rattanakosin period. Each is 42 meters high and surrounded by a decorated white wall.

King Rama II

The temple of King Rama II is the Temple of Dawn, Wat Arun. The ancient temple, originally named Wat Makok, has existed since the Ayutthaya period. The old name was changed by King Taksin who, it is said, arrived at the temple with his army at dawn after defeating the Burmese who sacked Ayutthaya. During the Rattanakosin era, Wat Arun was the closest temple to the palace where Rama II stayed while he was still a prince. Later on, King Rama II ordered a restoration and built the tall prang (or stupa) and four smaller ones.

It is said that the King also molded the face of the principal Buddha image himself, and that some of his ashes are kept here.

King Rama III

The temple of King Rama III is Wat Rajorasaram, or Wat Rajaoros, which was built during the Ayutthaya period. In 1820, during the reign of King Rama II, there was a rumor that the Burmese would attack Siam; Rama III, then a prince, led an army to the frontier in Kanchanaburi, and stopped at this temple on his way.

The King vowed that if he won the battle, he would come back to renovate the place. In the end, it turned out that the Burmese did not come and there was no battle.

Still, when King Rama III came to power, he renovated the temple as promised. The renovation took 14 years and the King changed its name to Wat Rajaoros. One can see a revered dais under a pikul tree. It was here that the King sat when he came to inspect the renovation.

King Rama IV

Having been ordained 27 years before he came into power, King Rama IV established Dhammayutika, or the Theravada sect of Buddhism, in Thailand. In order to feed the monks of this new sect, the King had to travel from the palace to Wat Bowonnivej Vihara, which at the time was inconvenient. So he ordered the construction of Wat Rajapradit Sathitmahasimaram Rajaworavihara, which became the first temple of Dhammayutika.

The grounds feature stones inscribed with the 1864 announcement of the temple’s construction. Inside, murals depict royal ceremonies; next to the main hall is the statue of the King.

His ashes are kept under the hall’s principal Buddha image.

King Rama V

King Rama V's role in propagating Buddhism was no less than his father's. This King established two Buddhist universities, Mahamakuta Raja Vidyalaya and Mahachulalongkorn Raja Vidyalaya. He also declared that temples should be self-governing.

Wat Rajabopit was built by King Rama V and renovated by his son, Rama VII.

Wat Rajabopit is the temple of King Rama V; he ordered it built opposite his father’s temple, Wat Rajapradit. This temple used to be home of many supreme patriarchs and other senior monks.

The main chapel and the assembly hall (phra viharn) have walls that are made of beautiful glazed tiles, designed in Thailand but fired in China, while its doors are enameled with mother of pearl.

Interestingly, the main hall is designed with a Thai-style exterior and a Gothic interior. The temple is also home to a royal cemetery, which the King built to make merit for his mother, wives, sons and daughters.

King Rama VI

The temple of King Rama VI remains disputed. Many say it is Wat Bowonnivej Vihara, as the King was ordained there. That temple bears much Chinese influence; the guardian spirit carved on a door is a Chinese deity.

Some people, however, say the temple of King Rama VI should be Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom, as some of his ashes were kept there, according to a request in his will. During his reign, the King ordered the renovation of the temple’s assembly hall, adding paintings of the pagoda and other pictures.

He also had a big image of Buddha, Phra Ruang Rojanaridhi, placed at the top of the marble staircase before the hall; the image's pedestal is where his ashes are kept.

King Rama VII

This King didn't build new temples but he did renovate Wat Rajabopit, the temple of his father (King Rama V). So it is said that Wat Rajabopit is the temple of both Rama V and VII.

King Rama VIII

The reign of King Rama VIII was very short and thus no new temples were built during this period. But people praised Wat Suthatthepwararam Rjaworamaha Vihara as his temple since the King often came here to meditate. The temple was built during the Rama I reign, during which the King aspired to make this temple the center of Bangkok.

It has the longest main chapel with magnificent paintings from the King Rama III period. King Rama II is said to have made the intricate carvings of plants and animals on the chapel's door himself.

At the base of the principal Buddha image in the royal hall, Phra Sri Sakayamunee, is where the ashes of King Rama VIII are kept. There is also a monument to the King on the balcony.

King Rama IX

It is still unclear which temple is for HM King Bhumibol. But it is believed that it will be one of the three places: Wat Sothon Wararam Wora Vihara in Chachoengsao, Wat Yannasangwararam in Chon Buri or the Rama IX Golden Jubilee Temple in Bangkok.

Wat Sothon Wararam Wora Vihara is situated on the west bank of the Bang Pakong River; the principal Buddha image, Phra Phutthasothon, or "Luang Pho Sothon", is one of the most revered Buddha images in Thailand. Legend says the image floated along the river to the temple grounds, and that villagers could not carry it until they performed a religious ceremony.

Built in 1976, Wat Yannasangwa-raram is a temple under HM the King’s patronage, as it was built to celebrate his sixtieth birthday. The main hall is decorated in classic Thai style, while smaller shrines are designed with nods to Indian, Chinese and Swiss architecture. The temple is one of the main tourist destinations in Pattaya.

The Rama IX Golden Jubilee Temple on Bangkok's Rama IX Road was built in 1988 by HM the King as a place for monks to propagate Buddhism.

At the same time, the temple aims to be a community center under the traditional concept of "home, temple and authority."

This temple is different from others, as it is small, simple and was built at low cost in light of HM the King's philosophy of a sustainable economy. It is comprised of a hall, miscellaneous pavilions, ponds, six monk residences and a kitchen.

The building is painted white, representing purity. – Additional reporting by Nattha Keenapan

source: http://www.manager.co.th/IHT/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9480000164943