Temple art and architecture in Thailand

The temple, or wat, plays a vital role in every community; for many visitors, Thailand’s temples are the country’s most enduring sights.

The temple complex

A typical Thai wat (temple) has two enclosing walls that separate it from the secular world. The monks’ quarters are situated between the outer and inner walls. In larger temples, the inner walls may be lined with Buddha images and serve as cloisters for meditation. This part of the temple is called buddhavasa or phutthawat.

Inside the inner walls is the bot or ubosot (ordination hall), surrounded by eight stone tablets and set on consecrated ground. This is the most sacred part of the temple – ordinations and special ceremonies are held here – and only monks can enter. The bot contains a Buddha image, but it is the viharn (sermon hall) that contains the principal Buddha images. Also in the inner courtyard are the bell-shaped chedi or stupa (relic towers), which contain the relics of the Buddha, as well as towering Cambodian-style spires called prang, which are a variation of the chedi.

Sala (open-sided pavilions) can be found all around the temple; the largest of these is the sala kan prian (study hall), used for afternoon prayers. Apart from Buddha images, various mythological creatures are found within the temple compound.

Temple murals

Thai temple murals are created on a background that has been prepared and dried before the artist paints on it using coloured pigments mixed with glue. Often featured on the interior of temple walls, such murals depict the classic subjects of Thai painting, including tales from the Jataka (Buddha’s birth and previous lives) and other Buddhist themes, and also vignettes of local life.

During the reign of Rama III (1824–51), mural painting reached its peak, with artists not only following the principles of traditional Thai art, but also introducing new elements, like Western perspective. The mural illustrated above, from Wat Suthat in Bangkok, is an example of the late 18th-century art style (better known as the Rattanakosin period).

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