Buddhist temples in Thailand - dlfeschool.in.th

Topics:
1. Introducing the famous Buddhist temples of Thailand
2. Why each temple is famous
Objectives:
After studying this part on Famous Buddhist Temples in Thailand,
learners should be able to do the following:
1. name the most famous Buddhist temples in Thailand
2. name some other famous Buddhist temples in Thailand
3. describe what makes temple famous
4. suggest which temples foreigners to Thailand should visit
Main Points:
Unit 5
Culture Part: Famous Buddhist Temples in
Thailand
1. The most famous Buddhist temple in Thailand is the Emerald
Buddha Temple.
2. Inside the Emerald Buddha Temple is the Emerald Buddha
statue, which is actually carved from a single piece of green
jade. It is 75 centimetres high.
3. Three times a year, according to the three seasons in Thailand, a
sacred ceremony is held in which the King changes the robes of
the Emerald Buddha.
4. Inside the courtyard of the Emerald Buddha Temple there is a
collection of Thai art influenced by Buddhism and the Ramayana.
The collection included imaginative creatures from Buddhist
legends and the Ramayana such as Yaksa (giant), Mara (evil). Kinara
and Kinaree (angle birds, half human and half bird) and Apsara
(angle).

5. The Thai name of the Emerald Buddha Temples is Wat Phra Keo.
Its official name comprises Sanskrit loan words, Wat Phrasri
Rattana Satsadaram (Details about this name are contained in the
Language Part: Thai Place Names).
6. Wat Pho is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok. Its official
name is Wat Phra Chetuphon. It is located on the opposite side of
the road from the Emerald Buddha Temple. It is often referred to
as “Thailand‘s first university”.
7. Wat Pho is famous for its decorated walls, galleries and courtyards
and sculptures and engravings about yoga, therapeutic message,
clinical explanations of anatomical ailments and traditional Thai
herbal medicine treatment, meditation techniques, astrology
and literature.
8. Wat Pho contains a temple house in which is the largest reclining
Buddha in Thailand, measuring 46 metres in length and 15 metres in
height.
9. The Temple of the Dawn is located on the banks of the Chao
Phraya River. Its Thai name is Wat Arun. (Details about this Thai
name are in the Language Part: Thai Place Names)
10. The Temple of the Dawn is famous as one of the most photographed
monuments in Thailand. The architecture of this temple which
distinguishes it from many other temples is the use of the prang, a
tall Khmer monument with a rounded top. The temple has one central
prang reaching 79 metres in height surrounded by four smaller prangs.
11. The Marble Temple is named Wat Benchamabophit in Thai. (Details of
this Thai name are in the Language Part : Thai Place Names)
12. The Marble Temple is famous for its walls which are built of white
Carrera marble imported from Italy. Construction of this temple was
begun in 1901 by the order of King Rama V and completed ten years
after his death