Wat Bowonniwet Vihara

Wat Pavaranivesh Vihara
The Chapel of Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
Location within Bangkok
Basic information
Geographic coordinates 13°45′37.2″N 100°29′59.5″E / 13.760333°N 100.499861°E / 13.760333; 100.499861Coordinates: 13°45′37.2″N 100°29′59.5″E / 13.760333°N 100.499861°E / 13.760333; 100.499861
Affiliation Thammayut Buddhism[1]
Country Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand
Website http://www.watbowon.org

Wat Pavaranivesh Vihara Rajavaravihara (Thai: วัดบวรนิเวศวิหารราชวรวิหาร; RTGS: Wat Bowon Niwet Wihan Ratchaworawihan, IPA: [wát bɔwɔːn níʔwêːt wíʔhǎːn râːttɕʰawɔːráʔwíʔhǎːn]) is a major Buddhist temple (wat) in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. It is the final resting place of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The temple is a center of the Thammayut Nikaya order of Thai Theravada Buddhism, it is the shrine-hall of Phra Phuttha Chinnasi (พระพุทธชินสีห์), a statue of the Buddha which dates to around 1357. Bowonniwet has been a major temple of patronage for the ruling Chakri dynasty.[2] It is where many royal princes and kings studied and served their monkhood, including King Bhumibol[1] and his son, the present king Vajiralongkorn.

Architecture

The golden chedi at the wat's shrine carries the relics and ashes of Thai royals.[1] The two viharas are closed to public. The T-shaped bot holds a magnificent Sukhothai-period Buddha, cast in 1257 CE to celebrate freedom from the Khmers.[1]

The murals on the bot's interior walls were traditionally light and limited in their subject matter and style. They were painted to appear three-dimensional.[1] Monk artist Khrua In Khong introduced Western style in the murals depicting Buddhist subjects.[1]

Royal patronage and history

In 1836, Prince Bhikkhu Mongkut (ordination name: Vajirañāṇo) arrived at the temple and became its first abbot, founding the Thammayut Nikkaya order. He stayed at the temple for 27 years before acceding the throne of Siam as King Rama IV.[3]

His great-grandson, King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX; ordination name: Bhumibalo), was ordained a monk at Wat Phra Kaew, and resided in Bowonniwet for 15 days in 1956. Bhumibol's mentor, Somdet Phra Yanasangworn, eventually became abbot of the temple, and later the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand. In 1978, King Bhumibol's son, King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X; ordination name: Vajirālankaraṇo), was also ordained and spent 15 days at Bowonniwet. Several of his sons from his second wife, Yuvadhida Polpraserth, later did the same.[4]

In October 1976, exiled dictator and former Prime Minister, Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn, returned to Thailand as a novice monk to enter Bowonniwet. This sparked large public demonstrations and a bloody crackdown that became known as the Thammasat University massacre or the "6 October Event".

List of abbots[5]

No.PortraitNameTenure fromTenure until
1Prince Mongkut
(Vajirañāṇo Bhikkhu)		18361851
2Somdet Phra Maha Samana Chao
Kromma Phraya Pavares Variyalongkorn
(Prince Rurk Paññāaggo)		18511892
3Somdet Phra Maha Samana Chao
Kromma Phraya Vajirananavarorasa
(Prince Manusyanagamanob Manussanāgo)		18921921
4Somdet Phra Sangharaja Chao
Kromma Luang Vajirananavongs
(Mom Rajavongse Chuen Navavongs Sucitto)		19211958
5Phra Brahmamuni
(Pin Thammaprathip Suvaco)		19581961
6Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara
(Charoen Khachawat Suvaḍḍhano)		19612013
7Somdet Phra Vanarata
(Chun Brahmaphithak Brahmagutto)		2015Present

Media

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Macdonald 2009, p. 108
  2. ↑ Liedtke 2011, p. 57
  3. ↑ Hoskin 2006, p.38
  4. ↑ Williams, p. 57
  5. ↑ วัดบวรนิเวศวิหาร, กรุงเทพฯ:มหามกุฏราชวิทยาลัย, 2546, หน้า 13-32

References

  • Liedtke, Marcel (2011), Thailand- The East (English Edition), Norderstedt: Books on Demand GmbH, ISBN 978-3-8423-7029-6
  • Macdonald, Phil (2009), National Geographic Traveler Thailand, England: National Geographic Society, ISBN 978-1-4262-0408-1
  • Hoskin, John (2006), Thailand, London: New Hollands Publishers (UK) Ltd, ISBN 978-1-4262-0408-1
  • Williams, China, Thailand, Lonely Planet
  • DhammaThai.org A Guide to Meditation Centres in Thailand: Wat Bovornives Vihara, last retrieved 15 September 2006
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