A simplified plan of Wat Phra SinghA detailed plan of Wat Phra SinghWihan LuangWihan Lai KhamThe Phra Buddha Sihing statue inside Wihan Lai KhamThe ubosot of Wat Phra Singh
Wat Phra Singh is located in the western part of the old city centre of Chiang Mai, which is contained within the city walls and moat. The main entrance is guarded by Singhs (lions). Wat Pra Singh is situated at the end of the main street (Rachadamnoen road) of Chiang Mai. The road runs east from the temple, via Tapae Gate, to the Ping River.
Nameedit
Phra Singh is an abbreviated form of Phra-Put-Tha-Shi-Hing and does not refer to the word Singh ("lion").[citation needed]
Notabilityedit
The temple houses an important Buddha statue: the Phra Buddha Sihing which gives the temple its name. The origins of this statue are unknown but, according to legend, it was based on the lion of Shakya, a statue since lost which used to be housed in the Mahabodhi Temple of Bodh Gaya (India). The Phra Buddha Sihing statue is supposed to have been brought, via Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka), to Ligor (present day Nakhon Si Thammarat) and, from there, via Ayutthaya, to Chiang Mai.
There are two more Buddha statues in Thailand which are claimed to be the Phra Buddha Sihing: one is housed in Wat Phra Mahathat in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat and another one the Bangkok National Museum.[1]: 227, 369
It is alleged that the head of the statue had been stolen in 1922. The possibility remains that the present statue (or maybe only the head) is a copy.
Every year, during the Songkran festival, the statue is taken from wihan Lai Kham and carried through the streets of Chiang Mai in a religious procession during which the spectators honour the statue by sprinkling water over it.
Historyedit
Construction on Wat Phra Singh began in 1345 when King Phayu,[2]: 226–227 the fifth king of the Mangrai dynasty, had a chedi built to house the ashes of his father King Kham Fu. A wihan and several other buildings were added a few years later and the resulting complex was named Wat Lichiang Phra. When, in 1367, the statue of Phra Buddha Singh was brought to the temple, the temple complex received its present name. During restoration works in 1925, three funerary urns were discovered inside a small chedi. It was assumed that these contained royal ashes. The urns have since been lost.
From 1578 to 1774 the Burmese ruled Lanna and in this period the temple was abandoned and came under serious disrepair. It was only when King Kawila assumed the throne as King of Chiang Mai in 1782, that the temple was restored. King Kawila had the ubosot built and the chedi enlarged. Later successors restored the Wihan Lai Kham and the elegant Ho Trai (temple library).
The whole temple complex underwent extensive renovations under the famous monk Khru Ba Srivichai during the 1920s. Many of the buildings were again restored in 2002.
Wihan Luang – the original wihan was replaced by the present building in 1925.
Wihan Lai Kham – this wihan is the main attraction of the complex. It was built in 1345 to house the Phra Buddha Singh statue and it is a prime example of classical Lanna architecture. The murals of the wihan are also highly remarkable. The murals on the left show the history of Songthong and on the right the history of Suwanna Hongse.
Ubosot – built in 1806, it contains two entrances: a south entrance for monks and a north entrance for nuns. It is as such a song sangha ubosot ('song' meaning 'two' in Thai). The building houses a mondop with the Phrachaotongtip Buddha statue, a smaller version of the Phra Buddha Sihing and it is therefore also known as Phrasingha noi ('noi' meaning 'small' in Thai). The northern end of the wihan, near the entrance for the nuns, contains a copy of the Emerald Buddha.
Ho Trai – the temple library is another prime example of classical Lanna architecture and it is one of the most beautiful temple libraries in Thailand. The guards, flanking the stairs, consist of lions emerging from the mouths of a Makara, a mythical water creature. This combination is rarely seen elsewhere.
The Phrathatluang – each side of the square base of the main chedi of the complex features the front half of an elephant emerging from it. After it was built in 1345, the chedi was enlarged several times.
The Kulai chedi – this small square based chedi, built as a pagoda with five tiered roofs by King Mueangkaeo (1495–1525), is connected to Wihan Lai Kham by a short tunnel which is not opened to visitors. When the chedi was restored under King Dharmalanka (1813–1822), a golden box containing ancient relics was found. After the works were completed, the box and its contents were placed once more inside the chedi.
Wat Phra Singh UKedit
In 2013, a Wat was established in Runcorn in Cheshire, England with the support of Wat Phra Singh and the President of the Council for Thai Buddhist Monks in the UK. The former Waterloo Hotel was converted into a Buddhist temple by Wat Phra Singh UK. As of May 2014[update], there are five resident monks.[3]
^Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans. Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN978-0-8248-0368-1.
^Home, Wat Phra Singh UK, retrieved January 3, 2017
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wat Phra Singh.
Michael Freeman, Donald Stadtner, Claude Jacques: Lanna – Thailand's Northern Kingdom. River Books, Bangkok 2001, ISBN0-500-97602-3
Clarence Aasen: Architecture of Siam. Oxford University Press 1998, ISBN983-56-0027-9
Carol Stratton: Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand. Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai 2004, ISBN1-932476-09-1
'Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn', in: Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David, Ancient Chiang Mai Volume 4. Chiang Mai, Cognoscenti Books, 2012. ASIN B006J541LE
Oliver Hargreave: Exploring Chiang Mai, City, Valley & Mountains. Within Books, 3rd print, 2002. ISBN974-86437-7-8
phra, singh, this, article, about, temple, chiang, temple, chiang, phra, sing, chiang, full, name, woramahaviharn, thai, ดพระส, งห, วรมหาว, หาร, rtgs, phra, sing, wora, maha, wihan, pronunciation, northern, thai, buddhist, temple, thai, language, chiang, north. This article is about the temple in Chiang Mai For the temple in Chiang Rai see Wat Phra Sing Chiang Rai Wat Phra Singh full name Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn Thai wdphrasinghwrmhawihar RTGS Wat Phra Sing Wora Maha Wihan pronunciation Northern Thai is a Buddhist temple Thai language Wat in Chiang Mai northern Thailand King Ananda Mahidol Rama VIII bestowed upon it the status of Royal temple of the first grade in 1935 A simplified plan of Wat Phra SinghA detailed plan of Wat Phra SinghWihan LuangWihan Lai KhamThe Phra Buddha Sihing statue inside Wihan Lai KhamThe ubosot of Wat Phra Singh Contents 1 Location 2 Name 3 Notability 4 History 5 Sights 6 Wat Phra Singh UK 7 Gallery 8 See also 9 ReferencesLocation editWat Phra Singh is located in the western part of the old city centre of Chiang Mai which is contained within the city walls and moat The main entrance is guarded by Singhs lions Wat Pra Singh is situated at the end of the main street Rachadamnoen road of Chiang Mai The road runs east from the temple via Tapae Gate to the Ping River Name editPhra Singh is an abbreviated form of Phra Put Tha Shi Hing and does not refer to the word Singh lion citation needed Notability editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Wat Phra Singh news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The temple houses an important Buddha statue the Phra Buddha Sihing which gives the temple its name The origins of this statue are unknown but according to legend it was based on the lion of Shakya a statue since lost which used to be housed in the Mahabodhi Temple of Bodh Gaya India The Phra Buddha Sihing statue is supposed to have been brought via Ceylon present day Sri Lanka to Ligor present day Nakhon Si Thammarat and from there via Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai There are two more Buddha statues in Thailand which are claimed to be the Phra Buddha Sihing one is housed in Wat Phra Mahathat in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat and another one the Bangkok National Museum 1 227 369 It is alleged that the head of the statue had been stolen in 1922 The possibility remains that the present statue or maybe only the head is a copy Every year during the Songkran festival the statue is taken from wihan Lai Kham and carried through the streets of Chiang Mai in a religious procession during which the spectators honour the statue by sprinkling water over it History editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Wat Phra Singh news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Construction on Wat Phra Singh began in 1345 when King Phayu 2 226 227 the fifth king of the Mangrai dynasty had a chedi built to house the ashes of his father King Kham Fu A wihan and several other buildings were added a few years later and the resulting complex was named Wat Lichiang Phra When in 1367 the statue of Phra Buddha Singh was brought to the temple the temple complex received its present name During restoration works in 1925 three funerary urns were discovered inside a small chedi It was assumed that these contained royal ashes The urns have since been lost From 1578 to 1774 the Burmese ruled Lanna and in this period the temple was abandoned and came under serious disrepair It was only when King Kawila assumed the throne as King of Chiang Mai in 1782 that the temple was restored King Kawila had the ubosot built and the chedi enlarged Later successors restored the Wihan Lai Kham and the elegant Ho Trai temple library The whole temple complex underwent extensive renovations under the famous monk Khru Ba Srivichai during the 1920s Many of the buildings were again restored in 2002 Sights editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Wat Phra Singh news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Buddhist monks in the ubosot of Wat Phra SinghWihan Luang the original wihan was replaced by the present building in 1925 Wihan Lai Kham this wihan is the main attraction of the complex It was built in 1345 to house the Phra Buddha Singh statue and it is a prime example of classical Lanna architecture The murals of the wihan are also highly remarkable The murals on the left show the history of Songthong and on the right the history of Suwanna Hongse Ubosot built in 1806 it contains two entrances a south entrance for monks and a north entrance for nuns It is as such a song sangha ubosot song meaning two in Thai The building houses a mondop with the Phrachaotongtip Buddha statue a smaller version of the Phra Buddha Sihing and it is therefore also known as Phrasingha noi noi meaning small in Thai The northern end of the wihan near the entrance for the nuns contains a copy of the Emerald Buddha Ho Trai the temple library is another prime example of classical Lanna architecture and it is one of the most beautiful temple libraries in Thailand The guards flanking the stairs consist of lions emerging from the mouths of a Makara a mythical water creature This combination is rarely seen elsewhere The Phrathatluang each side of the square base of the main chedi of the complex features the front half of an elephant emerging from it After it was built in 1345 the chedi was enlarged several times The Kulai chedi this small square based chedi built as a pagoda with five tiered roofs by King Mueangkaeo 1495 1525 is connected to Wihan Lai Kham by a short tunnel which is not opened to visitors When the chedi was restored under King Dharmalanka 1813 1822 a golden box containing ancient relics was found After the works were completed the box and its contents were placed once more inside the chedi Wat Phra Singh UK editIn 2013 a Wat was established in Runcorn in Cheshire England with the support of Wat Phra Singh and the President of the Council for Thai Buddhist Monks in the UK The former Waterloo Hotel was converted into a Buddhist temple by Wat Phra Singh UK As of May 2014 update there are five resident monks 3 Gallery edit nbsp Murals inside Wihan Lai Kham nbsp Murals inside Wihan Lai Kham nbsp Murals inside Wihan Lai Kham nbsp Kulai Chedi nbsp Tunnel between Kulai Chedi and Wihan Lai Kham nbsp Ho Trai temple library See also editThai temple art and architecture Phra Phuttha Sihing for the image now in BangkokReferences edit Rajanubhab D 2001 Our Wars With the Burmese Bangkok White Lotus Co Ltd ISBN 9747534584 Coedes George 1968 Walter F Vella ed The Indianized States of Southeast Asia trans Susan Brown Cowing University of Hawaii Press ISBN 978 0 8248 0368 1 Home Wat Phra Singh UK retrieved January 3 2017 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wat Phra Singh Michael Freeman Donald Stadtner Claude Jacques Lanna Thailand s Northern Kingdom River Books Bangkok 2001 ISBN 0 500 97602 3 Clarence Aasen Architecture of Siam Oxford University Press 1998 ISBN 983 56 0027 9 Carol Stratton Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand Silkworm Books Chiang Mai 2004 ISBN 1 932476 09 1 Wat Phra Singh Woramahaviharn in Forbes Andrew and Henley David Ancient Chiang Mai Volume 4 Chiang Mai Cognoscenti Books 2012 ASIN B006J541LE Oliver Hargreave Exploring Chiang Mai City Valley amp Mountains Within Books 3rd print 2002 ISBN 974 86437 7 818 47 19 5 N 98 58 52 37 E 18 788750 N 98 9812139 E 18 788750 98 9812139 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wat Phra Singh amp oldid 1106733045, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
