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| caption1 = [[Wat Phra Kaew]]<br>{{small|[[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]]}}
| caption1 = [[Wat Phra Kaew]]<br>{{small|[[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]]}}
| image2 = Temple Wat Xieng Thong - Luang Prabang - Laos.jpg
| image2 = Temple Wat Xieng Thong - Luang Prabang - Laos.jpg
| caption2 = [[Wat Xieng Thong]]<br>{{small|[[Vientiane]], [[Laos]]}}
| caption2 = [[Wat Xieng Thong]]<br>{{small|[[Luang Prabang]], [[Laos]]}}
| image3 = 2016 Phnom Penh, Wat Phnom (07).jpg
| image3 = 2016 Phnom Penh, Wat Phnom (07).jpg
| caption3 = [[Wat Phnom]]<br>{{small|[[Phnom Penh]], [[Cambodia]]}}
| caption3 = [[Wat Phnom]]<br>{{small|[[Phnom Penh]], [[Cambodia]]}}

Revision as of 00:58, 15 September 2024

For other uses, see Wat (disambiguation).

Wat Phra Kaew
Bangkok, Thailand
Wat Xieng Thong
Luang Prabang, Laos
Wat Phnom
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Wat Phra Singh
Chiang Rai, Thailand

A wat (Template:Lang-km, vôtt [ʋɔət]; Template:Lang-lo, vat [wāt]; Template:Lang-th, RTGS: wat [wát]; Template:Lang-khb; Template:Lang-nod, [wa̋t]) is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Etymology

The word wat is borrowed from the Sanskrit vāṭa (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.

Overview

Mariamman Temple, a Hindu temple in Bangkok, is more commonly called Wat Kheak
Kalawar Church, a Catholic church in Bangkok, is also commonly called Wat Kalawar
Usage of the term in Thailand beyond Buddhist temples

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, 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" (អង្គរវត្ត ângkôr vôtt) means 'city of temples'.

In everyday language in Thailand, a "wat" is any place of worship except a mosque (Template:Lang-th; RTGS: surao; or Template:Lang-th; RTGS: matsayit) or a synagogue (Template:Lang-th; RTGS: bot yio). Thus, a wat chin (วัดจีน; lit. 'Chinese temple') or san chao (ศาลเจ้า; lit. 'shrine') is a Chinese temple (either Buddhist or Taoist), wat khaek (วัดแขก; lit. 'Indian temple') or thewasathan (เทวสถาน; from Template:Lang-sa) is a Hindu temple, wat sik (Template:Lang-th; lit. 'Sikh temple' is a Gurdwara, and bot khrit (โบสถ์คริสต์) or wat farang (วัดฝรั่ง; lit. 'Farang temple') is a Christian church, though Thai โบสถ์ (RTGS: bot) may be used descriptively as with mosques.

Types

Wat Udom Thani [th], Nakhon Nayok is a royal temple
Wat Rong Suea Ten, Chiang Rai is a public temple

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 (Template:Lang-th; RTGS: phra aram luang): established or patronised by the king or his family members.
    • Public temples (Template:Lang-th; 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 (Template:Lang-th): 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.[4]

Structure

Main article: Thai temple art and architecture
Royal stupa (preăh chêdei) 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, Malaysia

A typical Buddhist wat consists of the following buildings:

Almost all Buddhist temples in Cambodia were built in Khmer architectural style. Most temples were finely decorated with a spiked tower (bosbok) (Template:Lang-km)(some temples have three or five spiked towers; some have none) on the rooftop along with pediments, naga heads, and chovear (Template:Lang-km) (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

Some well-known wats include:

Cambodia

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.[6] By 2019, it was illustrated that 97.1 percent of the Cambodian population was Buddhist,[7] making Cambodia to be one of the most predominant Buddhist nations in the world.

Laos

Malaysia

Main article: List of Buddhist temples in Malaysia

Despite having only 3.8 percent Buddhists in Kelantan, the northern Malaysian state of Kelantan has numerous Thai wats.[8]

Singapore

Main article: List of Buddhist temples in Singapore

Thailand

Main article: List of Buddhist temples in Thailand

As of 2016 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.[9]

Cambodia

  • Angkor Wat
    Angkor Wat
  • Wat Nokor, Kompong Cham, Cambodia
    Wat Nokor, Kompong Cham, Cambodia
  • Silver Pagoda
    Silver Pagoda
  • Vihear of Wat Peapet, Battambang, Cambodia
    Vihear of Wat Peapet, Battambang, Cambodia
  • Vihear of Wat Botum Wattey, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    Vihear of Wat Botum Wattey, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • Wat Ounalom
    Wat Ounalom
  • Wat Langka
    Wat Langka

Laos

  • Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang
    Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang
  • Wat Sisaket
    Wat Sisaket

Thailand

  • Two wihans and a chedi at Wat Phra That Chang Kham, Nan
    Two wihans and a chedi at Wat Phra That Chang Kham, Nan
  • Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, Phitsanulok
    Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, Phitsanulok
  • Wat Phra Kaew
    Wat Phra Kaew
  • Wat Ratchadatdaram
    Wat Ratchadatdaram
  • Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai
    Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai
  • Mondop and Chedi of Wat Arun
    Mondop and Chedi of Wat Arun
  • Wat Niwet Thammaprawat, Ayutthaya
    Wat Niwet Thammaprawat, Ayutthaya

Other countries

See also

Look up wat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ^ "wat". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020.
  2. ^ "wat". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  3. ^ ราชกิจจานุเบกษา,ประกาศกระทรวงธรรมการ แผนกกรมสังฆการี เรื่อง จัดระเบียบพระอารามหลวง, เล่ม ๓๒, ตอน ๐ ก, ๓ ตุลาคม พ.ศ.๒๔๕๘, หน้า ๒๘๔
  4. ^ Baird, Ian G. (2013). The monks and the Hmong: The special relationship between the Chao Fa and the Tham Krabok Buddhist Temple in Saraburi Province, Thailand. In Vladimir Tikhonov and Torkel Brekke (eds.), Violent Buddhism – Buddhism and Militarism in Asia in the Twentieth Century. London: Routledge. pp. 120–151.
  5. ^ "sala". Spoken Sanskrit Dictionary. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  6. ^ 26th annual Buddhist monk summit of Cambodia in Chaktomuk conference hall, Phnom Penh, December 2017.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "Thai temples that can be found in The State of Kelantan Darul Naim, Malaysia". Malaysian Internet Resources. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Educational Statistics 2016". Ministry of Education Thailand (MOE). p. 14. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
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