Wat, literally means temple, is one of the most important word
that you will often come across during your visit in Thailand.
Wat is a place where Buddhist monks live. What mostly strikes
forigners is the great number of Wats, which scatter all over the
country.
In a Buddhist Wat, the most important building is called Ubosoth
, a place where religious rites or services are performed to the
Buddhists on important occasions, such as on Wan Pra, or other
religious days.
Next importance to Ubosoth is Sala Kara Parianya , - a place
where the Buddhists usually assemble for merit-making, such as
giving food to the priests, praying, or attending sermons, if
these are not done in Ubosoth .
Besides, we find a few small Salas , which serves as
resting-places for those who go to church, and rows of buildings,
mostly in wood, which serve as the dwellings of the priests.
Another commonly seen architecture of Thai Temples is a Chedi or
pagoda, a cone-shaped structure with a lofty spire.
Its spire mostly ornamented in gold was purposely built to
enclose the sacred relics of the Lord Buddha.
Some Chedis were built up by kings or wealthy nobles simply in
commemoration of their deceased wives or relatives, and contained
only Buddhist images or some or other sacred symbols.
Wats are so numerous in our country because it has become, ever
since the old days, a custom among powerful kings and wealthy
people to compete one another in building Wats. To build a Wat is
considered by the Buddhists as one of the greatest merit to the
givers.
To the Thai people, Wats are important artistically,
educationally, morally, and socially. In the artistical point of
view, they are known to be the places where the fine arts of the
ancient, especially paintings, sculptures, and architectures, are
well preserved.
We can learn a great deal about the lofty aesthetic spirit of the
Thai arts from the most well known Royal Chapel, Wat
Benjamabopit- also known as the Marble temple, and Wat Arun or
the Temple of the Dawn.
Since ancient times, Wats had been the center of education in
Thailand for centuries. It was the monks who gave not only
intellectual, but moral education to the Thai boys (in the olden
days, education was restricted only to Thai male), and that would
be their only schooling during their boyhood. The unmistakable
proof of this is that even today a lot of schools are still found
within the church precincts.
In the moral point of view, Wats have been the places where
people usually go for their spiritual comfort. It was also the
Thai tradition that every Thai youth should become at least once
in a life-time a monk when he reaches the age of twenty-one,
otherwise, he would never be respected as a full man (The period
of being a monk greatly varies among the Thai people. Generally,
a man enter monkhood for 3 months, however, there is no
restriction even 1 day is possible)
In the social point of view, Wats have been, from the old days,
favorite places for social gathering. On Wan Pra, or on other
important religious days, people like to go there, not only for
merit-making, but also for amusement, as many kinds of
entertainment such as lakhon or li-kai are often shown in the
church yard on such occasions.
On such days, men and women of all ages will dress themselves
with their best clothes before they go there. Hence has come the
expression best well-known among the Thai people: beautiful
enough to go to church.
Considering how important Wats are to the Thai cultures, the
Thai people, should do their best to preserve as long as possible
these valuable possessions, so that Buddhism, of which Wats are
both the seat and the symbol, will last forever in this beloved
country.