A wat (Khmer: វត្ត, vôtt[ʋɔət]; Lao: ວັດ, vat[wāt]; Thai: วัด, RTGS: wat[wát]; Tai Lü: 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); Northern Thai: 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」 （w+Da2), [wa̋t]) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Province of Sri Lanka and Thailand. The word wat is a Thai word that was borrowed from Sanskritvāṭa (Devanāgarī: वाट), meaning 'enclosure'.[1][2] 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.
Strictly speaking, 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, wat means to measure, to take measurements; compare templum, from which temple derives, having the same root as template.
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" (អង្គរវត្តângkôr vôtt) means 'city of temples'.
In everyday language in Thailand, a "wat" is any place of worship except a mosque (Thai: สุเหร่า; RTGS: surao; or Thai: มัสยิด; RTGS: matsayit) or a synagogue (Thai: สุเหร่ายิว; RTGS: surao yio). Thus, a wat chin (วัดจีน) or san chao (ศาลเจ้า) is a Chinese temple (either Buddhist or Taoist), wat khaek (วัดแขก) or thewasathan (เทวสถาน) is a Hindu temple and bot khrit (โบสถ์คริสต์) or wat farang (วัดฝรั่ง) is a Christian church, though Thai โบสถ์ (RTGS: bot) may be used descriptively as with mosques.
Types
The facade of Phra Wihan Luang (meeting hall), Wat Suthat, Bangkok
According to Thai law, there are two types of Thai Buddhist temples:
Wats (วัด; wat) are temples which have been endorsed by the state and have been granted wisungkhammasima (วิสุงคามสีมา), or the land for establishing central hall, by the king. These temples are divided into:[3]
Royal temples (Thai: พระอารามหลวง; RTGS: phra aram luang ): established or patronised by the king or his family members.
Public temples (Thai: วัดราษฎร์; RTGS: wat rat ): established by private citizens. Despite the term "private", private temples are open to the public and are sites of public religious activities.
Samnak song (Thai: สำนักสงฆ์): are temples without state endorsement and wisungkhamasima.
Bot (Thai: โบสถ์) or ubosot (Lao: ອຸໂປສົດ; Thai: อุโบสถ; from Paliuposatha) or sim (Lao: ສິມ): 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 (Khmer: ឧបោសថាគារ ឬ រោងឧបោសថ).
Chedei (Khmer: ចេតិយ) or Chedi (Thai: เจดีย์; Lao: ເຈດີ) from Sanskrit: chaitya, temple or that (Lao: ທາດ): 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.
Chantakhara (Thai: ชันตาฆร): a room in which fire and water are kept.
Kappapiya Kudi (Thai: กัปปิยกุฎี) utility and storage room.
Kod (Khmer: កុដិ), Kut, Kutti, Kuti or Kati (Lao: ກຸຕິ, ກະຕິ; Thai: กุฏิ): the living quarters of monks (bhikkhus) separated from the sacred buildings.
Mondop (Khmer: មណ្ឌប; Thai: มณฑป; from Sanskrit: Mandapa): usually an open, square building with four arches and a pyramidal roof, used to worship religious texts or objects.
Pond (Khmer: ស្រះ - Srah; Lao: ສະນ້ໍາSa Nam; Thai: สระน้ำSa Nam): is rectangular in shape and sometimes decorated with lotus flowers, the emblematic flower of Buddhism. In addition, some wats illustrate the figure of Buddha being sheltered by a seven headed naga, named Mucalinda (Khmer: មុជ្ជលិន្ទ), in the middle of the pond. The pond itself is called Mucalinda Pond.
Sala (Khmer: សាលា; Lao: ສາລາ; Thai: ศาลา; from the Sanskrit word शाला (IAST: śālā), cognate of Hindi शाल, meaning hall, large room or shed.[4] A pavilion for relaxation and miscellaneous activities. In Cambodia, the sala also serves as the Buddhist educational center in a wat, but not every wat has one. It can be found outside the wat proper.
Oupadthan Sala or Sala Bonn (Khmer: ឧបដ្ឋានសាលា ឬ សាលាបុណ្យ) or Sala Wat (Thai: ศาลาวัด): a hall for people gathering together to make a donation or for ceremonies.
Sala Baley or Sala Putthikakseksa (Khmer: សាលាបាលី ឬ សាលាពុទ្ធិកសិក្សា): literally means 'Pali school' or 'Buddhist educational school', is the place to teach Buddhist Dharma and other subjects in both Pali and Khmer languages. Sala Baley is divided into three levels. They are: Buddhist elementary school (Khmer: ពុទ្ធិកបឋមសិក្សាPutthikakpathamaseksa); Buddhist high school (Khmer: ពុទ្ធិកវិទ្យាល័យ - Putthikakvityealay); and Buddhist university (Khmer: ពុទ្ធិកសកលវិទ្យាល័យPutthikaksakalvityealay). 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.
Sala Chhann (Khmer: សាលាឆាន់), Sala Bat (Thai: ศาลาบาตร), or Ho Chan (Thai: หอฉัน): cafeteria for monks.
Sala Chhatean (Khmer: សាលាឆទាន), Sala Klang Yan (Thai: ศาลากลางย่าน) or Sala Rong Tham (Lao: ສາລາໂຮງທໍາ; Thai: ศาลาโรงธรรม): 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.
Sala Song (Thai: ศาลาสรง): the room where monks receive holy water blessings.
Sala Thormmasaphear or Thormmasala (Khmer: សាលាធម្មសភា ឬ ធម្មសាលា), Sala Fang Tham (Thai: ศาลาฟังธรรม): Dharma assembly pavilion, however some assume this hall to be Sala Bonn.
Vihear (Khmer: វិហារ) or wihan (Lao: ວິຫານ; Thai: วิหาร) from Sanskrit: vihara: a meeting and prayer room.
Wachak Kod (Khmer: វច្ចកុដិ) or Watcha Kudi (Thai: วัจจกุฎี) or than (Lao: ຖານ; Thai: ถาน): toilet.
Almost all Buddhist temples in Cambodia were built in Khmer architectural style. Most temples were finely decorated with a spiked tower (bosbok) (Khmer: បុស្បុក)(some temples have three or five spiked towers; some have none) on the rooftop along with pediments, naga heads, and chovear (Khmer: ជហ្វា) (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 kinnari 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 chofas.
At the end of 2017, there were 4,872 wats with 69,199 Buddhist monks supporting Buddhism in Cambodia.[5] By 2019, it was illustrated that 97.1 percent of the Cambodian population was Buddhist,[6] making Cambodia to be one of the most predominant Buddhist nations in the world.
As of 2016[update] 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.[8]
^26th annual Buddhist monk summit of Cambodia in Chaktomuk conference hall, Phnom Penh, December, 2017.
^"Percentage distribution of population by religion, area, and province, Cambodia, 2008-2019 (General population census of Cambodia in 2019)" (PDF). National Institute of Statistics. 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
^"Thai temples that can be found in The State of Kelantan Darul Naim, Malaysia". Malaysian Internet Resources. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
^"Educational Statistics 2016". Ministry of Education Thailand (MOE). p. 14. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
August 25, 2023
other, uses, disambiguation, khmer, វត, vôtt, ʋɔət, wāt, thai, rtgs, wát, ᩅᨯ, northern, thai, type, buddhist, temple, hindu, temple, cambodia, laos, east, shan, state, yunnan, southern, province, lanka, thailand, word, thai, word, that, borrowed, from, sanskri. For other uses see Wat disambiguation A wat Khmer វត ត vott ʋɔet Lao ວ ດ vat wat Thai wd RTGS wat wat Tai Lu ᩅᨯ ᨰ waD Dha Northern Thai ᩅ ᨯ w Da2 wa t is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia Laos East Shan State Yunnan the Southern Province of Sri Lanka and Thailand The word wat is a Thai word that was borrowed from Sanskrit vaṭa Devanagari व ट meaning enclosure 1 2 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 Upper left Wat Ubaosoth Ratanaram Phnom Penh Cambodia Upper right Wat Xieng Thong Luang Prabang Laos Lower Left Weihan Manduan Temple Meng Haai Yunnan ChinaLower Right Wat Phra Kaew Bangkok Thailand Contents 1 Overview 2 Types 3 Structure 4 Examples 4 1 Cambodia 4 2 Laos 4 3 Malaysia 4 4 Singapore 4 5 Thailand 5 Gallery 5 1 Cambodia 5 2 Laos 5 3 Thailand 5 4 Other countries 6 See also 7 ReferencesOverview Edit Wat Mahathat Luang PrabangStrictly speaking 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 wat means to measure to take measurements compare templum from which temple derives having the same root as template In Cambodia a wat is any place of worship Wat generally refers to a Buddhist place of worship but the precise term is vott pŭtthsasnea វត តព ទ ធស សន meaning Buddhist pagoda Angkor Wat អង គរវត ត angkor vott means city of temples In everyday language in Thailand a wat is any place of worship except a mosque Thai suehra RTGS surao or Thai msyid RTGS matsayit or a synagogue Thai suehrayiw RTGS surao yio Thus a wat chin wdcin or san chao saleca is a Chinese temple either Buddhist or Taoist wat khaek wdaekhk or thewasathan ethwsthan is a Hindu temple and bot khrit obsthkhrist or wat farang wdfrng is a Christian church though Thai obsth RTGS bot may be used descriptively as with mosques Types Edit The facade of Phra Wihan Luang meeting hall Wat Suthat BangkokAccording to Thai law there are two types of Thai Buddhist temples Wats wd wat are temples which have been endorsed by the state and have been granted wisungkhammasima wisungkhamsima or the land for establishing central hall by the king These temples are divided into 3 Royal temples Thai phraxaramhlwng RTGS phra aram luang established or patronised by the king or his family members Public temples Thai wdrasdr RTGS wat rat established by private citizens Despite the term private private temples are open to the public and are sites of public religious activities Samnak song Thai sanksngkh are temples without state endorsement and wisungkhamasima Structure EditMain article Thai temple art and architecture Royal stupa preăh chedei of Kuntha Bopha was built by using Khmer architectural style during the Angkor period in the form of temple shrine Silver Pagoda Phnom Penh The main chedi in Wat Phra Mahathat Nakhon Si Thammarat Pha That Luang Vientiane Laos Wat Chaiyamangkalaram George Town MalaysiaA typical Buddhist wat consists of the following buildings Bell tower Khmer ប មជ ង pam chuŏng pɑːm cueŋ Lao ຫ ລະຄ ງ Thai hxrakhng Bot Thai obsth or ubosot Lao ອ ໂປສ ດ Thai xuobsth from Pali uposatha or sim Lao ສ ມ 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 Khmer ឧប សថ គ រ ឬ រ ងឧប សថ Chedei Khmer ច ត យ or Chedi Thai ecdiy Lao ເຈດ from Sanskrit chaitya temple or that Lao ທາດ 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 Chantakhara Thai chntakhr a room in which fire and water are kept Drum tower Khmer រ ងស គរ Lao ຫ ກອງ Thai hxklxng Hong Song Nam Thai hxngsrngna toilet Ho trai Khmer ហ ត រ យ Lao ຫ ໄຕ Thai hxitr library where Buddhist texts are kept Kappapiya Kudi Thai kppiykudi utility and storage room Kod Khmer ក ដ Kut Kutti Kuti or Kati Lao ກ ຕ ກະຕ Thai kuti the living quarters of monks bhikkhus separated from the sacred buildings Mondop Khmer មណ ឌប Thai mnthp from Sanskrit Mandapa usually an open square building with four arches and a pyramidal roof used to worship religious texts or objects Pond Khmer ស រ Srah Lao ສະນ າ Sa Nam Thai srana Sa Nam is rectangular in shape and sometimes decorated with lotus flowers the emblematic flower of Buddhism In addition some wats illustrate the figure of Buddha being sheltered by a seven headed naga named Mucalinda Khmer ម ជ ជល ន ទ in the middle of the pond The pond itself is called Mucalinda Pond Sala Khmer ស ល Lao ສາລາ Thai sala from the Sanskrit word श ल IAST sala cognate of Hindi श ल meaning hall large room or shed 4 A pavilion for relaxation and miscellaneous activities In Cambodia the sala also serves as the Buddhist educational center in a wat but not every wat has one It can be found outside the wat proper Oupadthan Sala or Sala Bonn Khmer ឧបដ ឋ នស ល ឬ ស ល ប ណ យ or Sala Wat Thai salawd a hall for people gathering together to make a donation or for ceremonies Sala Baley or Sala Putthikakseksa Khmer ស ល ប ល ឬ ស ល ព ទ ធ កស ក ស literally means Pali school or Buddhist educational school is the place to teach Buddhist Dharma and other subjects in both Pali and Khmer languages Sala Baley is divided into three levels They are Buddhist elementary school Khmer ព ទ ធ កបឋមស ក ស Putthikakpathamaseksa Buddhist high school Khmer ព ទ ធ កវ ទ យ ល យ Putthikakvityealay and Buddhist university Khmer ព ទ ធ កសកលវ ទ យ ល យ 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 Sala Chhann Khmer ស ល ឆ ន Sala Bat Thai salabatr or Ho Chan Thai hxchn cafeteria for monks Sala Chhatean Khmer ស ល ឆទ ន Sala Klang Yan Thai salaklangyan or Sala Rong Tham Lao ສາລາໂຮງທ າ Thai salaorngthrrm 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 Sala Kan Parian Thai salakarepriyy or Ho Chaek Lao ຫ ແຈກ Thai hxaeck study hall In the past this hall was restricted to monks citation needed Sala Song Thai salasrng the room where monks receive holy water blessings Sala Thormmasaphear or Thormmasala Khmer ស ល ធម មសភ ឬ ធម មស ល Sala Fang Tham Thai salafngthrrm Dharma assembly pavilion however some assume this hall to be Sala Bonn Sala Tha Nam Thai salathana pier pavilion Vihear Khmer វ ហ រ or wihan Lao ວ ຫານ Thai wihar from Sanskrit vihara a meeting and prayer room Wachak Kod Khmer វច ចក ដ or Watcha Kudi Thai wcckudi or than Lao ຖານ Thai than toilet Almost all Buddhist temples in Cambodia were built in Khmer architectural style Most temples were finely decorated with a spiked tower bosbok Khmer ប ស ប ក some temples have three or five spiked towers some have none on the rooftop along with pediments naga heads and chovear Khmer ជហ វ 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 kinnari 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 chofas Examples EditSome well known wats include Cambodia Edit Main article List of Buddhist temples in Cambodia At the end of 2017 there were 4 872 wats with 69 199 Buddhist monks supporting Buddhism in Cambodia 5 By 2019 it was illustrated that 97 1 percent of the Cambodian population was Buddhist 6 making Cambodia to be one of the most predominant Buddhist nations in the world Angkor Wat Siem Reap Wat Preah Keo Phnom Penh Wat Botum Vattey Phnom Penh Wat Moha Montrey Phnom Penh Wat Ounalaom Phnom Penh Wat Phnom Phnom Penh Wat Bakan PursatLaos Edit Wat Si Saket Vientiane Wat Xieng Thong Luang Prabang Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham Luang Prabang Wat Manorom Luang PrabangMalaysia Edit Main article List of Buddhist temples in Malaysia Wat Buppharam Penang Wat Chayamangkalaram Penang Wat Chetawan Selangor Wat Phothivihan KelantanDespite having only 3 8 percent Buddhists in Kelantan the northern Malaysian state of Kelantan has numerous Thai wats 7 Singapore Edit Main article List of Buddhist temples in Singapore Wat Ananda Wat PalelaiThailand Edit Main article List of Buddhist temples in Thailand As of 2016 update 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 8 Wat Suthat Bangkok Wat Benchamabophit The Marble Temple Wat Ratchanatdaram Wat Phra Kaew Wat Arun Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Wat Pho Wat Saket Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Chiang Mai Wat Chiang Man Chiang Mai Wat Chedi Luang Chiang Mai Wat Phra Singh Chiang Mai Wat Phra That Lampang Luang Lampang Wat Phumin Nan Phra Pathommachedi Nakhon Pathom Wat Pah Nanachat International Forest Monastery Ubon RatchathaniGallery EditThis section contains an unencyclopedic or excessive gallery of images Please help improve the section by removing excessive or indiscriminate images or by moving relevant images beside adjacent text in accordance with the Manual of Style on use of images April 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Cambodia Edit Angkor Wat Silver Pagoda Vihear of Wat Peapet Battambang Cambodia Vihear of Wat Botum Wattey Phnom Penh Cambodia Wat Ounalom Wat LangkaLaos Edit Wat Xieng Thong Luang Prabang Wat SisaketThailand Edit Two wihans and a chedi at Wat Phra That Chang Kham Nan Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat Phitsanulok Wat Phra Kaew Wat Ratchadatdaram Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Chiang Mai Mondop and Chedi of Wat Arun Wat Niwet Thammaprawat AyutthayaOther countries Edit Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon London UK Interior of the Thai Buddhist wat in Nukari Nurmijarvi FinlandSome Tai Khun monasteries in East Shan State Myanmar are in wat style but may be called kyaung while some may be called wat but in kyaung style See also Edit Look up wat in Wiktionary the free dictionary Three Refuges Five Precepts Eight Precepts Four Noble Truths Noble Eightfold Path Pali Canon Samatha amp Vipassana Cetiya Vassa Kathina Uposatha Patimokkha Upasampada Bai Sema Ordination hall Theravada Buddhism Buddhism in Cambodia Buddhism in Laos Buddhism in Thailand Kyaung Burmese Monasteries Pura Balinese Hindu temples Candi Hindu Buddha temples of ancient Indonesia especially JavaReferences Edit wat Lexico UK English Dictionary Oxford University Press Archived from the original on 2020 11 26 wat Merriam Webster Dictionary Retrieved 2018 01 11 rachkiccanuebksa prakaskrathrwngthrrmkar aephnkkrmsngkhkari eruxng cdraebiybphraxaramhlwng elm 32 txn 0 k 3 tulakhm ph s 2458 hna 284 sala Spoken Sanskrit Dictionary Retrieved 2012 06 11 26th annual Buddhist monk summit of Cambodia in Chaktomuk conference hall Phnom Penh December 2017 Percentage distribution of population by religion area and province Cambodia 2008 2019 General population census of Cambodia in 2019 PDF National Institute of Statistics 2019 Retrieved 28 January 2021 Thai temples that can be found in The State of Kelantan Darul Naim Malaysia Malaysian Internet Resources Retrieved 2 October 2018 Educational Statistics 2016 Ministry of Education Thailand MOE p 14 Retrieved 29 July 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wat amp oldid 1163506896, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
