A wat (, ; , vat ; , ; ; , ) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hinduism temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State (Myanmar), Yunnan (China), the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Etymology
The word
wat is borrowed from the
Sanskrit vāṭa (Devanāgarī: वाट), meaning "enclosure".
The term has varying meanings in each region, sometimes referring to a specific type of government-recognised or large temple, other times referring to any Buddhist or Hindu temple.
Overview
In
Buddhism, a
wat is a Buddhist sacred precinct with
vihara, a temple, an edifice housing a large image of Buddha and a facility for lessons. A site without a minimum of three resident
bhikkhus cannot correctly be described as a wat although the term is frequently used more loosely, even for ruins of ancient temples. As a transitive or intransitive verb,
means to measure, to take measurements; compare , from which
derives, having the same root as .
In Cambodia, a wat is any place of worship. " Wat" generally refers to a Buddhist place of worship, but the precise term is vôtt pŭtthsasnéa (វត្តពុទ្ធសាសនា) meaning "Buddhist pagoda". "Angkor Wat" (អង្គរវត្ត ) means 'city of temples'.
In everyday language in Thailand, a "wat" is any place of worship except a mosque (; ; or ; ) or a synagogue (; ). Thus, a wat chin (วัดจีน; ) or san chao (ศาลเจ้า; ) is a Chinese temple (either Chinese Buddhism or Taoism), wat khaek (วัดแขก; ) or thewasathan (เทวสถาน; from ) is a Hindu temple, wat sik (; is a Gurdwara, and bot khrit (โบสถ์คริสต์) or wat farang (วัดฝรั่ง; ) is a Christianity church, though Thai โบสถ์ () may be used descriptively as with mosques.
Types
According to Thai law, there are two types of Thai Buddhist temples:
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Wats (วัด; wat) are temples which have been endorsed by the state and have been granted Visungkhamsima (วิสุงคามสีมา), or the land for establishing Phra Ubosot, by the king. These temples are divided into:
[ราชกิจจานุเบกษา, ประกาศกระทรวงธรรมการ แผนกกรมสังฆการี เรื่อง จัดระเบียบพระอารามหลวง, เล่ม ๓๒, ตอน ๐ ก, ๓ ตุลาคม พ.ศ.๒๔๕๘, หน้า ๒๘๔]
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Royal temples (; ): established or patronised by the king or his family members.
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Public temples (; ): established by private citizens. Despite the term "private", private temples are open to the public and are sites of public religious activities.
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Samnak song (): are temples or monasteries without state endorsement and wisungkhamasima. For example, Wat Tham Krabok in Phra Phutthabat was established as a samnak song in 1975 and was granted a wat status in 2012.
Structure
A typical Buddhist wat consists of the following buildings:
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Bell tower (, pâm chuŏng ; ; )
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Bot () or ubosot (; ; from Pali uposatha) or sim (): the holiest prayer room, also called the "ordination hall" as it is where new monks take their vows. Architecturally it is similar to the vihara. The main difference is the eight cornerstones placed around the bot to ward off evil. The bot is usually more decorated than the wihan. In Cambodia nowadays, this type of building is considered to be Vihear. It was previously called Ubaosathakea or Rorng Ubaosoth ().
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Cetiya () or Cetiya (; ) from Sanskrit: chaitya, temple or that (): It is also known as a Stupa (). Usually conical or bell-shaped buildings, but many Cambodian stupas are constructed in the style of temple shrine. They often contain relics of Buddha. The urns containing the ashes of the cremated dead are kept here and serve as memorials for those ancestors.
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Chantakhara (): a room in which fire and water are kept.
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Drum tower (; ; )
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Hong Song Nam (): toilet.
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Ho trai (; ; ): library where Buddhist texts are kept.
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Kappapiya Kudi () utility and storage room.
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Kod (), Kut, Kutti, Kuti or Kati (; ): the living quarters of monks () separated from the sacred buildings.
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Mondop (; ; from Sanskrit: Mandapa): usually an open, square building with four arches and a pyramidal roof, used to worship religious texts or objects.
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Pond ( - Srah; Sa Nam; Sa Nam): is rectangular in shape and sometimes decorated with Nelumbo nucifera flowers, the emblematic flower of Buddhism. In addition, some wats illustrate the figure of Gautama Buddha being sheltered by a seven headed naga, named Mucalinda (), in the middle of the pond. The pond itself is called Mucalinda Pond.
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Sala (; ; ; from the Sanskrit word शाला (IAST: śālā), cognate of Hindi शाल, meaning hall, large room or shed.
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Oupadthan Sala or Sala Bonn () or Sala Wat (): a hall for people gathering together to make a donation or for ceremonies.
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Sala Baley or Sala Putthikakseksa (): literally means 'Pali school' or 'Buddhist educational school', is the place to teach Buddhist Dharma and other subjects in both Pali and Khmer language languages. Sala Baley is divided into three levels. They are: Buddhist elementary school ( Putthikakpathamaseksa); Buddhist high school ( - Putthikakvityealay); and Buddhist university ( Putthikaksakalvityealay). Beside Buddhist Dharma, Buddhist university includes subjects such as philosophy, science, information technology, Sanskrit, and other foreign languages. These schools may be constructed outside the wat and laypersons are also permitted to study there.
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Sala Chhann (), Sala Bat (), or Ho Chan (): cafeteria for monks.
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Sala Chhatean (), Sala Klang Yan () or Sala Rong Tham (; ): is usually smaller than other halls and can be built outside the wat, especially along the roads or even in the center of villages. It is used to celebrate Buddhist events as well as for dining and relaxation.
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Sala Kan Parian () or Ho Chaek (; ): study hall,
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Sala Song (): the room where monks receive holy water blessings.
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Sala Thormmasaphear or Thormmasala (), Sala Fang Tham (): Dharma assembly pavilion, however some assume this hall to be Sala Bonn.
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Sala Tha Nam (): pier pavilion.
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Vihear () or wihan (; ) from Sanskrit: vihara: a meeting and prayer room.
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Wachak Kod () or Watcha Kudi () or than (; ): toilet.
Almost all Buddhist temples in Cambodia were built in Khmer architectural style. Most temples were finely decorated with a spiked tower (bosbok) ()(some temples have three or five spiked towers; some have none) on the rooftop along with , naga heads, and chovear () (a decorative ridge-piece that is placed at each topmost edge of the roof, just above the tip of each pediment). Below the edge of the roof and at the top of external columns, garuda or Kinnara figures are depicted supporting the roof. There are a pair of guardian lions and one head or several (three, five, seven, or nine). naga sculptures are beside each entrance of the temple. Inside the main temple (vihara) and the multipurpose hall (lunch hall), mural paintings depict the life of Gautama Buddha and his previous life.
The roofs of Thai temples are often adorned with .
Examples
Some well-known wats include:
Cambodia
At the end of 2017, there were 4,872 wats with 69,199 Buddhist monks supporting Buddhism in Cambodia.
[26th annual Buddhist monk summit of Cambodia in Chaktomuk conference hall, Phnom Penh, December 2017.] By 2019, it was illustrated that 97.1 percent of the Cambodian population was Buddhist,
making Cambodia to be one of the most predominant Buddhist nations in the world.
Laos
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Wat Si Saket, Vientiane
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Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang
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Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, Luang Prabang
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Wat Manorom, Luang Prabang
Malaysia
Despite having only 3.8 percent Buddhists in Kelantan, the northern Malaysian state of Kelantan has numerous Thai wats.
Singapore
Thailand
Thailand had 39,883 wats. Three hundred-ten were royal wats, the remainder were private (public). There were 298,580 Thai Buddhist monks, 264,442 of the [[Maha Nikaya]] order and 34,138 of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya order. There were 59,587 Buddhist novice monks.
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Wat Suthat, Bangkok
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Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple)
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Wat Ratchanatdaram
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Wat Phra Kaew
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Wat Arun
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Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
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Wat Pho
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Wat Saket
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Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai
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Wat Chiang Man, Chiang Mai
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Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai
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Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai
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Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, Lampang
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Wat Phumin, Nan
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Phra Pathommachedi, Nakhon Pathom
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Wat Pah Nanachat (International Forest Monastery), Ubon Ratchathani
Gallery
===Cambodia===
===Laos===
===Thailand===
===Other countries===
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