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Thai temple art and architecture is theart andarchitecture ofBuddhist temples inThailand. Temples are known aswats, from thePāḷivāṭa, meaning "enclosure". A temple has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world. Temples served as a stabilizing center in these communities because their sacred teachings became a basis of authority and boundaries, their precincts became places of instruction, their regimes of common ownership of property formed them into economic centers, and their functions allowed them to serve at the heart of these communities in a variety of ways.[1][2]
Watarchitecture adheres to consistent principles. A wat, with few exceptions, consists of two parts: thePhutthawat and theSangkhawat.
The Phutthawat (Thai:พุทธาวาส) is the area which is dedicated to Buddha. It generally contains several buildings:
The buildings are often adorned with elements such aschofas.
In temples of theRattanakosin era, such asWat Pho andWat Ratchabophit, the ubosot can be contained within a (low) inner wall called aKamphaeng Kaeo (Thai:กำแพงแก้ว), which translates to "crystal wall".
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The sangkhawat (Thai:สังฆาวาส) contains the monks' living quarters. It lies within the wall surrounding the temple compound. The sangkhawat can have the following buildings:
Temples display multiple roof tiers. The use of ornamented tiers is reserved for roofs on temples, palaces and important public buildings. Two or three tiers are most often used, but some royal temples have four. The practice is more aesthetic than functional. Temple halls and their roofs are large. To lighten the roof's appearance, the lowest tier is the largest with a smaller middle layer and the smallest tier on top. Multiple breaks in each roof lighten it further – a double-tiered roof might have 2–4 breaks in each tier. The tiers, breaks and tier patterns create dynamic visual rhythms. In northern temples, the roof area is larger, sweeping low to cover more of the wall. The lower tiers telescope toward the entrance. In a central Thai temple, the lower tiers reach a short distance beyond the top roof at the gable ends.
Most decorations are attached to thebargeboard, the long, thin panel on the edge of the roof at the gable ends. The decorative structure is called thelamyong. Thelamyong is sculpted in an undulating, serpentinenag sadung shape evoking theNāga. Its blade-like projection calledbai raka suggest bothNāga fins and the feathers ofGaruda. Its lower finial is called ahang hong, which usually takes the form of aNāga's head turned up and facing away from the roof. TheNāga head may be styled in flame-likekranok motifs and may have multiple heads. A roof with multiple breaks or tiers has identicalhang hong finials at the bottom of each section. Perched on the peak of thelamyong is the large curving ornament called aChofah, which resembles the beak of a bird, perhaps representing Garuda.
ThaiTheravada Buddhism andHindu cultures merged, and Hindu elements were introduced into Thai iconography. Popular figures include the four-armed figure ofVishnu; thegaruda (half man, half bird); the eight-armedShiva; elephant-headedGanesh; theNāga, which appears as a snake,dragon or cobra; and the ghost-banishing giantYaksha.
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