ARCHITECTURE IN THAILAND

History of Architecture 31st Sem AY 2010-2011

Ar. Clarissa L. Avendaño

Ruins of Wat Mahathat in Ayuthaya

Ayuthaya was Thailand's capital from 1350 to 1767.

Thailand in the 13th c.

http://www.theancientweb.com/explore/content.aspx?content_id=47

http://www.manaliandterry.com/index.php/2009/11/13/chiang-mai-thailand-monk-chat/

Lotus bud-shaped anda Bell-shaped anda

ANDA – greenHARMIKA - redCHATTRAS - purpleBASE or TERRACES - black

Lotus bud-shaped anda

Stepped terraces and redented bases. Two or three square terraces rise to support a deeply redented (that is, with cutout corners) and tower-shaped base; this base supports the anda. The stepped terraces are a distinctive element of the Thai stupa (shared with those of Myanmar’s Bagan) and mark a clear push away from earlier Sri Lanka prototypes. Further, the tower-like bases, which afford these structures their elegance and vertical momentum, seem to borrow from earlier Khmer prangs (discussed in the next section). See yellow highlights in Fig. 5.• No harmika. Unlike Sri Lankan models, this style stupa does not employ a harmika, affording it a more integrated, delicate profile.• Lotus bud-shaped anda. The anda resembles a closed lotus bud. This is the Sukhothai stupa’s most distinctive feature. See red highlights in Fig. 5.• The umbrellas (chattra) are tightly grouped, so much so that they are not visible as discrete elements; their overall shape resembles a narrow, inverted cone,

Bell-shaped anda

Wat Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya and Bangkok periods

e Thai civilization’s chief modification to the Khmer prang was to make it more delicate, thinner, and vertical in emphasis. That said, the defining features of the Thai prang include:• More slender, vertical tower (

irst prangs in Thailand were built in Phimai and Khao Phnom Rung and Lopburi between the early 10th century and the late 12th century, when the Khmer kingdom was dominant.After the Khmer Empire collapsed, the Thai building masters of the Sukhothai Kingdom adapted the Prang form. They extended and developed it. The building material was no more separate small sandstone blocks, instead the Thais built the Prang in brick or laterite covered with stucco. And the Cella could be reached only by stairs. An example for this is the Prang of the Wat Mahathat in Phitsanulok. Later developments of the Prang suggested the Cella only. The entrance door became a niche, in which was placed the Buddharupa(Buddha statue), which had originally taken the central position inside. For reasons of symmetry the niche was repeated on all four sides. On its pinnacle was a Trishul, the "weapon of Indra".A "more modern" Prang is a slim construction, like an ear of corn, which lets its Khmer origin be only suspected. The best example is Wat Arun, the landmark of Bangkok. AlsoWat Phra Kaeo has six thin Prangs arranged in a row. Another example is the four Prangs arranged in all four directions around Wat Pho in Bangkok, and the five Prangs in Wat Pichayart in Thonburi.

ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES

1. Temples and Monasteries

2. Palaces

3. Houses/Dwelling Units

• Group of religious buildings and other features (such as trees and lakes), surrounded by a wall, and with at least one gate.

• Consist of two parts:

1. Phuttha-wat

2. Sangha-wat

Thai Buddhist temple

1. Phuttha-wat

a. Ubosot or Bot, (Ordination Hall)

b. Phra rabieng

c. Viharn (teaching Hall)

d. Chedi or Stupa (Reliquary Tower)

e. Crematorium

f. Sala

g. Sala Kan Prian

h. Ho rakang

i. Of equal importance may be a Bhodi Tree or a Buddha Footprint.

Thai Buddhist temple

Most of the best known temples are in Bangkok, and these reflect the highly ornate "Rattanakosin" style of the Chakri dynasty (late 18th century to the present day).

www.ekohchang.com/TempleGlossary.htm

WAT (TEMPLE)

1

BOT

VIHARN

VIHARN

CHEDI

CHEDI

CHEDI

The main elements of the temple are as follows:

1. Bot/Ubosot 2. The Reclining Buddha 3. Main Stupas

4. Phra Mondop 5. The Gallery 6. Hermit's Ground

• The wall, often white washed, usually encloses a rectangular area. The wall demarcates the temple compound, called putthawat, or the sacred enclosure.

• Ideally the main entrance faces east.

Wat Phra Singh, the largest temple in Chiang Mai, northwestern Thailand. (Luca I. Tettoni/Corbis)

WAT• Thai Buddhist temple

or monastery.

• In most cases it is not just one building, but a collection of buildings, shrines, and monuments within a courtyard that is enclosed by a wall.

• Consecrated ordination hall of a Wat, where new monks take their vows.

• Has six boundary stones (Bai Sema) that define the limits of its sanctuary.

• Usually open only to the monks.

• Faces east and usually houses an altar and one or several Buddha images.

a. BOT/UBOSOT

http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/candi/Wat%20Phra%20Singh%20ubosot.jpg

Ubosot of Wat Plai Laem | Koh Samui

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iprahin/4207683943/

The Marble templehttp://www.bloggang.com/mainblog.php?id=lungpai

Ubosot at Wat Doi Suthep/Wat Phra Boromathat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai

http://www.chiangmai-traveltips.com/wat-doi-suthep.htm

Luk nimit • Sacred marker spheres that will be buried during the

consecration of the ubosot.

• They demarcate the sacred space.

• There will be nine luk nimit buried, one at the centre, four at the corners and four at the cardinal points in the middle of each side of the building.

b. PHRA RABIENG

• Cloister like-galleries around the Bot/Ubosot

• Along the walls of the Phra Rabieng are Buddha images and some times religious furniture.

http://www.asiaexplorers.com/thailand/northern-thai-temple-architecture.htm

Mural Paintings depicting Ramakien epic (Thai version of the Hindu epic, Ramayana)

c. VIHARN • Sermon hall and is usually the busiest building in a Wat and

open to everyone (provided the visitor behaves according to the temple etiquette.

• Holds an altar and one or several Buddha images.

• Hall similar to the Ubosot, but with no Sema stones. • Houses various Buddha images and is used as a preaching hall

and as a place for prayer and meditation. • There may be more than one Viharn in a temple complex.

Wat Suthat Thep Wararam Wat Suthat

Wat Benchamabophit

http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Photos/Asia/Thailand/WatBen.html

• Inside the viharn is a Buddha image either seated or standing.

• Located at the far end of the hall and face east, for that is the direction that Buddha achieved Enlightenment.

KU (Miniature chedi)

• Reliquary where the small principal Buddha image is place to enhance its presence.

• Composed of three superimposed tiers, with the lowest tier over the porch.

• Number of tiers range from one to four, with three being the most common and each tier may comprise of two or three sections.

• Lowest section is close to the ground, and spreads out like a mother hen spreading her wings to protect her chick.

ROOF

travel.webshots.com/photo/1095438012048103203...

PAN LOM• Bargeboard that covers the end of the gable, preventing the tiles

from falling off.

• Decorated like a downward sloping body of the naga, with its head rearing up.

• The naga's scales which project up is called the bai raka.

CHOFAS “Sky Cluster”

• Horn or bird-like finials

seen on the roof ridges of

temples.

• Often decorated with little

bells that tinkle in the

wind.

• Design is in the form of a

stylised garuda, which is

meant to be grabbing the

tail of the naga that flows

down both sides of the

bargeboard, pan lom.

Gable• Front gable of the viharn is usually highly decorated.

• May also be divided into rectangular panels.

http://www.featurepics.com/online/Thai-Ornament-Image374620.aspx

HU CHANG “Elephant ears”• Eave-brackets along the

outer wall of the viharn.

• Triangular piece of wood that is often highly ornamented.

• Design can be in the form of intertwining naga, the monkey king Hanuman, or the mystical bird kinnari or other mystical beast.

NAGA - Nak Sadung and Makara• Representation of a mystical serpent that according to the holy

scripts sheltered the Buddha while he was meditating.

• Temple – found on the edge of the roof or especially in Lanna (North of Thailand) temples, flanks the staircase that ascends to the Viharn or Bot.

• Sculptures - it is depicted sheltering the head of the Buddha with its own.

SUM • Also called sum khong,

• Elaborate decorative arch over and framing the doorway.

Wat Phra Keo, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok

www.bikechina.com/ct-bw-yn-sc-05-1-thai.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/focusthai/4820490300/

• Pair of lions guarding the entrance of a viharn.

• Chiang Mai - often made in the Burmese style.

• Myanmar - named chinthe

SINGHA

• Domed edifice, under which relics of the Buddha or revered religious teachers are buried.

d. CHEDI /PRANG (Stupa/Pagoda)

• Types of Chedi:

1. Bell – shaped style Chedi

2. Square Chedi

3. Indented Chedi

4. Suwanna Chedi, Prang

5. Suwanna Stepped Chedi

1. Bell-shaped style

Phra Pathom Chedi, Nakorn Pathom, Bangkok• Tallest Chedi in Thailand. with a base

diameter of around 233 m. and a height of more than 120 m.

http://www.thailandbuddy.com/travel/province/nakhon-pathom/index.html

Funerary Chedis

2. Square Chedi

• Northern Thailand balances a smaller dome on a high square base, each side has a niche carved with Buddha images.

• Sits on a terrace or platform, often with an enclosed walkway for devotees to make ritual circumambulation.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2462165440010442789nbAVaIWat Jed Yod, Chiang Mai

3. Indented Chedi

• Small dome balanced on a square base with indented corners.

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Thonburi, Bangkok.

Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadagood/3066859535/

4. Suwanna Chedi - Prang

• Ayutthayan or Khmer style of reliquary, found all over central Thailand from the Khmers..

• Shaped like a corn cob standing on top of a square or cruciform building, with an entrance on one side.

Phra Prang Sam Yod, Lopburi.

http://www.thailandbytrain.com/Lopburi.html

5. Suwanna Stepped Chedi

• Found in Northern Thailand

.

http://www.thailandbuddy.com/travel/province/Lamphun-Province.html

• Square stepped base, with 5 tiers above, each of the four faces containing 3 Buddha images

Phrathat Haripunchai, Lamphun

Wat Chamathevi, Lamphun

Chedi Liem, Chiang Mai

HTI • Bejeweled sacred umbrella

that sits at the topmost part of the chedi,

• Burmese influence to the design.

• CHAT - Gilded parasols also adorn the four corners of the walkway surrounding the chedi.

CHAT• Burmese-style sacred

filigree parasol that are usually installed at the corners of the railings enclosing the chedi.

• Parasols are usually gilded.

e. MONDOP (Mandapa)

• Square, open-sided pavilion with a multi-tiered pyramidal roof rising to a peak.

• Baldachin structure that has in some temples been erected above the library with the sacred Buddhist scripts.

(Library or Manuscript repository)

• Handwritten Buddhist manuscripts are stored.

• Usually very small, same style as the viharn and ubosot, but lavishly decorated building.

• Central Plains - often sits on columns in a pond.

• Northern Part - built raised up from the ground, to keep it away from termites and damp.

f. HO TRAI

The library is often built on piles in a pond to prevent bugs to destroy the sacred texts.

http://www.thaiworldview.com/wat/jpg/wat050.jpg

g. CREMATORIUM

• Recognizable because it has a tall chimney.

The Royal Crematorium

• Prepared for the royal cremation of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra, November 15, 2008.

• Represents Viman celestial abode of the gods that stands on the summit of Sumeru, the majestic mountain, spine of the universe in the Traibhumi (the three planes of existence) in Buddhist cosmology.

webhost.m-culture.go.th/.../about-thailand-.html

h. HO RAKHANG (Bell Tower) • The bell is struck to call the

monks to devotions, to announce time (it is struck for noon, after which monks are not allowed to eat) or to announce the stopping of work for the day.

In some big temples and monasteries, there may also be a gong tower, or a combination of bell and gong.

• In some big temples and monasteries, there may also be a gong tower, or a combination of bell and gong.

Huge gong at Wat Phra That Haripunchai in Lamphun

i. SALA GAN PARIAN• Open-sided pavilion or preaching hall.

• Bangkok-style structure that is only found occassionally in Northern Thailand.

• Some Viharns are built in this style.

SANHAWAT• Contained within the wall surrounding the temple complex.

• Living quarters of the monks

1. KUTI (Living quarters)

May also contain the following:

2. HO RAKANG (Bell tower)

3. SALA KAN PRIAN (Preaching or Sermon hall)

• Kitchen building where food can be prepared by lay people, and sanitary buildings

KUTI• Originally a small structure, built on

stilts, designed to house a monk, with its proper size (4.013 x 2.343 m).

• Apartment building with small rooms for the monks - Modern

Buddhist temples

1. Sukhothai2. Ayutthaya

Latter Period 3. Lanna 4. Rattanakosin Buddhist temples.

http://www.archicentral.com/tag/thailand/

WAT PA MAHA CHEDI KAEW and its associated building including the crematorium, Sisaket province

Use of 1 million glass recycled bottles. Mixture of green Heineken and brown local Chang beer collected since 1984.

http://www.archicentral.com/tag/thailand/

http://loopyrocket.blogspot.com/2008/11/wat-pa-maha-chedio-kaew-temple-out-of.html

http://www.bloggersbase.com/travel/buddhas-majestic-bodh-gaya/

Samui, Thailand

http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/outoftown/thailand/kosamui/bigbuddha/index.htm

Ayutthaya Historical Parkhttp://video.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/thailand-guide/

BODHI TREE

PALACES

The Grand Palace Chakri Maha Prasat Hall• Built by king Chulalongkorn (RAMA V)• Used for the reception of foreign ambassadors. • Blend of European and Thai architecture

Wat Phra Kaew “Heaven and Earth”

Built as the royal temple within the Grand Palace, same as the Ayutthaya tradition. The temple has no residing Buddhist monks, but was meant as the spiritual center of the kingdom and the site for major royal ceremonies.

1. Ubosot2. Emerald Budha3. Main Stupa4. Phra Mondop5. Royal Pantheon6. Gallery

7. Srcipture Hall8. Ankor Wat Model9. Viharn10. Ho Phra Nak11. Stupa 12. Prang

King Chungalongkorn's PalaceVinmanmek Palace (Cloud Mansion)

• Believed to be the world largest building made entirely of golden teak.

• Originally constructed on Srichang Island in the Gulf of Siam by King Rama V ( King Chulalongkorn) but In 1901, was moved to its present site

Royal Palace at Bang Pa-In• Dates from the reign of King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910), when most

of the buildings standing today were constructed between 1872 - 1889.

THAI HOUSES

www.koleksyon.com/.../thai_architecture.asp

ROYAL HOUSES

• Similar in design to those of commoners except that they were generally closer to the ground and had more decorative features.

• Tamnak Daeng or “Red House”built by King Rama I as a residence for one of his queens, originally in Ayutthaya style but acquired more Rattanakosin elements during several moves.

• King Rama V presented the house to the museum as a reminder of an architectural style then becoming rare.

• Elevated on stout round posts• Steep roofs with curved bargeboards • Paneled walls leaning slightly inward• Various components are prefabricated to enable easy dismantling

and reassembly.• House consists of a single unit with an outside veranda, while

those accommodating larger families might have several separate units arranged around a central platform.

Central plains houses

www.tour-bangkok-legacies.com/saranrom-park.html

KALAE (Galae)• Decorative carved

element as a top roof ending.

• Mostly carved from teakwood widely used in North Thailand, the former kingdom of Lanna.

• Horns of the water buffalo.

Residence of Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother “Mae Fah Luang”, Doi Tung, Chiang Rai/North Thailand

:www.thai-eyes.com

http://page2rss.com/277a2a2dcf2b23e11bdc4aef122a06b7 - Thailand elements