Name of a hill tribe in northern Thailand. Although only a few thousand live in Thailand, they are a large people with their majority living in Burma and Yunnan, where their number is estimated at around two million. Besides this, they are perhaps one of the most indigenous people in the region. Headhunters at first, then communists, many now have become illicit drug providers. According to some Wa is a Shan term for aborigine and their worship of human skulls has prompted the use of the name Ta Wa (Wild Wa), as opposed to Lawa (Tame Wa) ...for more order our CDrom... Thai. 'Yak's tail fan'. See padwaanlawichanih. Thai for vajra, meaning scepter, diamond or thunderbolt. Appears frequently as a prefix in Thai nomenclature.
Crown prince, second child and only son to king Bhumipon and queen Sirikit. Born in Dusit on 28 July 1952. Wachirawut (วชิราวุธ) 1. Thai. 'Armed with a wachira'. Name of the Thai king with the crown title Rama VI (fig.) who ascended the throne in 1910, after the death of king Chulalongkorn. See also Rama VI. Also Vajiravudh.
2. A designation for the Vedic god Indra. Thai. 'Embedded with pieces of glass', usually with regard to a tray, base or phaan. Thai longitudinal measurement equal to two meters. Thai. The hands brought together as a greeting (fig.) or to pay respect (fig.). The height of the hands increases with the amount of respect paid, depending on who is greeted and according to social status. The more respect given the higher the hands ...for more order our CDrom...
Thai. 'Greeting to the teacher'. Homage to a teacher, instructor or lecturer by bringing the hands together as in a traditional greeting or wai. See also Wan Kruh and compare with ram muay. Also transcribed wai kroo. Wajirunhit (วชิรุณหิศ) First crown prince of the Rattanakosin period. Born on 2 July 1878 heir to the throne and son of king Chulalongkorn and queen Sawang Wadhana. According to some sources he was more intelligent than most of his peers and was very conscientious. At the age of 13 he wrote his own diary with an agenda of duties and responsibilities for himself as future king. He was the favorite of king Chulalongkorn who personally instructed and prepared him with the purpose to succeed him. In 1895 he unexpectedly died from typhoid and was succeeded by his thirteen year old half-brother Wachirawut (fig.), the ...for more order our CDrom...
An important new development in iconographic art introduced during the Sukhothai period. Images of walking Buddhas refer to a scene in the life of the Buddha when he returned from the Tavatimsa heaven after he preached there to his mother who had died seven days after his birth. He is descending to earth by stairs accompanied by the gods Brahma and Indra. In combination with a vitarka or dhammachakka mudra this form refers to peripatetic instruction. Today, ...for more order our CDrom...
Thai name for Chakri Day. Wan Chaleum Phra Chonma Phansa (วันเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา) Thai. Birthday of king Rama IX. Wan Chat Mongkon (วันฉัตรมงคล) Thai name for Coronation Day, when Thai sovereignty is celebrated. 1. Thai. Name of a river in North Thailand that near Nakhon Sawan merges with the rivers Nan, Yom and Ping, thus forming the Chao Phraya river. 2. Thai for palace. If it is the palace of a king it is called Phra Rachawang. Thai. 'Day of the teacher'. A day, usually on a Thursday in June or July, when students collectively pay respect to their teachers (wai kruh). On this day teachers receive a golden tray with three kinds of flowers from their students: the ixora, in Thai called 'kem', the flower of the 'makeua' or eggplant, and a lotus. These flowers each have their own symbolic implication: 'kem' means 'needle', and refers to the wit that the students will obtain by their tuition; the flower of the eggplant bends under the weight of its fruit and thus indicates obedience and respect; and the lotus is the general symbol for Enlightenment. Wan Kruh dates back to the period when the temple was the only centre of education. Compare with ram muay and see also Phra Phareuhadsabodih. Thai. 'Mother day'. Thai public holiday and birthday of queen Sirikit. This refers to the queen's status as a public mother figure. Annually celebrated on 12 August. Thai for the day when Makha Bucha is annually celebrated. Thai linguistic term meaning 'tone mark'. A tone mark is used to change the tone and the meaning of a word. Thai language has four tone marks but five tones: the middle or common tone (siang sahman - uses no tone mark), the low tone (mai ek - อ่), the falling tone (mai toh - อ้), the high tone (mai trih - อ๊) and the rising tone (mai chatawah - อ๋). ...for more order our CDrom... Wan Pheut Mongkon (วันพืชมงคล) Thai for the day when the royal ploughing ceremony is held. Thai. Buddhist holiday in Thailand. Often coinciding with full moon. Also Wan Tham Masawana. Wan Piya Maha Raj (วันปิยะมหาราช) Thai. 'Day of the beloved great king'. Thai name for Chulalongkorn Day, a public holiday on 23 October. Also transcribed Wan Piya Maha Raat. See also Piya Maha Raj. Wan Rattamnoon (วันรัฐธรรมนูญ) Thai. 'Constitution Day'. Thai name for the public holiday celebrated on 10 December commemorating the constitution. Wan Tham Masawana (วันธรรมสวนะ) Thai. Buddhist holiday. Often coinciding with full moon. Also Wan Phra. Wan Visakha Bucha (วันวิสาขบูชา) Thai name for the day when Visakha Bucha is annually celebrated. One of the main characters from the story Khun Chang Khun Paen written by king Lert La. The bigamous Wanthong vacillated between true love and respectability and was eventually executed by the king as a troublemaker. Her spirit Praet Wanthong later appeared to halt a fight ...for more order our CDrom... Thai goddess of wine. Another Thai name for Narai or Vishnu. wat (วัด) Thai and Laotian word for a Buddhist temple or monastery, derived from the Pali word avasa as well as from the Sanskrit word avasatha. A typical wat in Thailand is generally used for both religious, educational and residential purposes, and consist in general of a bot (boht - fig.), the ordination hall; a viharn (fig. - wihaan), the prayer hall; a sala (fig.), an open shelter with a roof, and a number of kutis (fig.), the quarters of the monks. Larger temples usually also have a ho trai (fig.), a library for Buddhist writings; a ho klong (fig.), a drum tower; and a ho rakhang (fig.), a belfry; whilst smaller temples like the wat pah, forest temples, have in general no boht or ordination hall. In rural Thailand the wat usually serves as a religious centre as well as a social meeting place. Thailand has around ...for more order our CDrom... Thai. 'Temple of dawn'. An 86 meter high structure alongside the Chao Phrya river, with prangs in Khmer style consisting of a main stupa flanked by four smaller ones, which are actually prangs on a chedi shaped base. Its grooved towers indicate that the authority who commissioned the construction was a king. When general Taksin after the fall of Ayutthaya appeared with a liberating army on the Chao Phraya river at dawn the temple name was changed in Wat Jaeng, a synonym for the later Wat Arun which is derived from the Indian god of dawn, Aruna. In 1772 AD, when general Chakri, the later king Yotfa, was appointed supreme commander of the Siamese armies by king Taksin, he conquered the Laotian city of Vientiane and brought the Emerald Buddha back to Thonburi where the statue was placed in Wat Arun. Today the temple is still in use by members of the royal court for religious state ceremonies, such as the annual kathin phra racha thaan (fig.). Its official name is Wat Arun Rajawarahrahm and the temple is one of the few throughout Thailand conferred with the highest royal title of ...for more order our CDrom...
Wat Arun Rajawarahrahm (วัดอรุณราชวราราม) Thai. The full and official name for Wat Arun. Often this name is followed by the highest royal title for temples, i.e. Rajavora Maha Vihaan. Wat Benjamabophit (วัดเบญจมบพิตร) Thai. The Marble Temple in Bangkok (fig.). Built around the turn of the 19th. century by order of king Chulalongkorn. The temple is built of white Carrara marble from Toscana and has a cruciform bot. The base of the central Buddha image (fig.), which is a copy of the Phraphut Chinnarat image (fig.) from Phitsanulok, contains the ashes of king Rama V. In the gallery of the courtyard behind the bot there are 53 Buddha images (33 originals and 20 copies) that represent different poses and styles from throughout Thailand and other Buddhist countries. Often ...for more order our CDrom...
Wat Chaiwatthanaram (วัดไชยวัฒนาราม) Thai. One of the most impressive of ancient Buddhist monasteries, built in 1630 AD on the banks of the Chao Phraya river in Ayutthaya, by order of king Prasatthong to make merit (tamboon) for his deceased mother. It is believed that it was built on the location of his former residence. Its structural design resembles that of Angkor Wat with a large prang representing Mount Meru, and may therefore be built to commemorate victory over Cambodia. The temple consists of one large prang and four smaller ones, built on the same base and surrounded by eight smaller prangs, and a gallery with 120 gilded Buddha images in the maravijaya position. In the eight smaller prangs a total of twelve crowned Buddhas are found. The ceiling of every alcove under each prang is made from wood and decorated with gilded star motifs painted onto a black lacquer background. When Ayutthaya was besieged by the Burmese in 1767 the temple was used as an army base. After the fall of the city the temple was abandoned and later looted and many Buddha images ...for more order our CDrom...
Wat Chedi Jed Yod (วัดเจดีย์เจ็ดยอด) Thai. 'Temple with the seven stupas'. One of the most important sanctuaries of northern Thailand in Chiang Mai, also known by the name Wat Photharam Maha Wihaan. It was built in 1455 by the royal command of king Tilokarat XI, the then monarch of the Lan Na kingdom. The main temple building with seven stupas is a replica of the Maha Bodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in India. The king also had a seedling of a bodhi tree planted in the compound of the temple, giving the temple its name Wat Photharam Maha Wihaan, the 'monastery of the bodhi tree'. Its first abbot was Phra Bodhi Rangsi Maha Thera, a learned author of the Chamadevi Wongsa, a writing on the dynasty of Chamadevi. In 1477 king Tilokarat convened a council of senior monks well versed in the Tripitaka at this monastery. They were chaired by Phra Dhammadina and met with learned laymen chaired by the king to revive this Buddhist scripture. Their work is regarded the eight revival of the Buddhist Tripitaka. When ...for more order our CDrom...
Thai. Temple in North Thailand, built at a height of 1,053 meters on the hill of Doi Suthep, 14 kms to the West of the city of Chiang Mai. This very popular temple is named after Sudeva, the Pali name of a hermit who lived on the mountain prior to the construction of the temple and which translates into Thai as Suthep. The temple has a staircase of 306 steps with naga handrails (fig.) and offers a panoramic view of the city (fig.). According to legend the temple was built on the location where a white elephant which transported relics of the Buddha (fig.), circled three times and then died. These relics had been discovered by the Ceylonese monk Sumanathera in Sri Satchanalai as he traveled frequently between this city and Sukhothai to spread Theravada Buddhism. It was told the relic performed a miracle upon its discovery by starting to glow. King Dhammaracha of Sukhothai asked for the relic, but when he saw it and it didn't perform any miracle, he told Sumanathera to keep it. Later when king Keua Nah (fig.) ruled over the northern kingdom of Lan Na he invited Sumanathera to Chiang Mai. The latter left for Chiang Mai in 1369 bringing the relic with him and the king went out to welcome him, meeting the monk as far out as Lamphun. Because the monk liked the place so much he stayed there for two years, in Wat Phra Yeun. In 1371 he then moved to a temple specially built for himself and the relic, namely Wat Suandok monastery in Chiang Mai. The monk was highly respected by the king who bestowed him the title of Phra Sumanapupah Rattana Maha Swami, a high ranking ecclesiastical title. When it was discussed to built a new pagoda to house the relic, it was discovered that the relic had been miraculously split in two, with one part being of the same size as the original relic. The smaller relic was subsequently enshrined in a newly completed pagoda in Wat Suandok, where it remains today; the other half of the relic was put on the back of ...for more order our CDrom...
See nahm tok. Originally, a native weed of the Amazon river basin in South America, where its shiny green leaves made it a favourite pool decoration in colonial European gardens. In the 19th century Dutch colonialists took it to Java from where it was taken to Siam by visiting Thais who called it pak tob chawa, Java grass. However, the plant eventually found its way into the wild where it soon became a menace. A single water hyacinth produces namely enough seeds to generate 3,000 offspring in less than two months, doubling its size in just over a week. In the Amazon this poses no problem as certain herbivorous fish and water floods keep it under control, but elsewhere such explosive growth over time forms a dense mat of floating foliage, resulting in lack of oxygen and sunlight that consequently threatens fish and other aquatic life. The problems is now mostly eradicated by using the weed as pigs food and the dried stems for weaving. Its ...for more order our CDrom...
A aquatic plant with floating leaves and colourful flowers of the family of nymphaeaceae, sometimes confused with the lotus. Often seen in ponds near temples and in colours that vary from white (fig.) and pink (fig.) to lavender blue and purple with a number of gradations in between. The floating leaves of the water lily are completely water-repellent and its surface structure has been imitated in certain scientific applications.
A hookah. A bamboo cylinder (fig.) filled with water with a valve used by some hill tribes (fig.) in North Thailand to smoke gancha (marihuana). The water acts as a filter and coolant. It is singed and smoked similar to opium. In Thai called bong or bong gancha.
Thai. 'Temple of dawn'. Old name of, and synonym for Wat Arun. 1. Thai. Name given to temples in Thailand that house a relic of the Buddha. See also that. 2. See Wat Mahathat Yuwaraja Rangsit. Wat Mahathat Wora Maha Wihaan (วัดมหาธาตุวรมหาวิหาร) Thai. Temple in Nakhon Sri Thammarat over a thousand
years old, dating from the
Srivijaya period. Its main chedi
is 75 meters
high from its base to the top and has a solid gold spire weighing
962 kilogram. It is surrounded by 158 smaller chedis. The temple is the
largest
in the South of Thailand and the oldest sight in the city. The ubosot
used to house one of Thailand's three identical Phra Singh Buddha images, of which the original
comes from Sri Lanka. It was first imported to Sukhothai via Nakhon Sri Thammarat, and was later moved to Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya. The other two images are
in the National Museum in Bangkok and at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai, all
claiming to have the original one. The Nakhon Sri Thammarat Phra
Singh Buddha image now stands in the Ho Phra Singh in the city's
center. The temple's main chedi is portrayed on the copper coins of
25 satang (fig.).
The temple is related to the
Wat Mahathat Yuwaraja Rangsit (วัดมหาธาตุยุวราชรังสฤษฎิ์) Thai. One of the few temples in Thailand that is bestowed with the highest possible royal title of Rajavora Maha Vihaan. Its name is usually abbreviated to Wat Mahathat. The temple is in Bangkok and was built during the Ayutthaya period. It accommodates the Buddhist university Maha Chulalongkorn Rajawitthayalai for the higher education of monks. Thai. 'Forest temple'. Popular Thai name for temples in the jungle where monks stay to live and meditate in tranquility. Also aranyawahsie. Wat Phra Chetuphon (วัดพระเชตุพน) See Wat Poh. Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mang Khalahrahm (วัดพระเชตุพนวิมลมังคลาราม) See Wat Poh. Wat Phra Kaew (วัดพระแก้ว) 1. Thai. 'Temple of the Jewelled Buddha'. The most important temple in Bangkok and Thailand, housing the Emerald Buddha. It is a royal temple without a Sanghavasa, built next to the old royal palace Phra Rachawang in Phra Nakhon. The inner walls of the gallery that encloses the temple have elaborate murals depicting the complete story of the Ramakien. They were initially painted during the rule of Rama I, but restored several times afterwards. The temple is shown on the one baht coin and its ...for more order our CDrom...
2. Thai. 'Temple of the Jewelled Buddha'. Name of the temple in Chiang Rai that initially possessed the Emerald Buddha. The Buddha image was discovered in 1434 when lightning struck the temple's octagonal chedi revealing the statue. The original name of the temple was Wat Pa Yia, a local dialect meaning ...for more order our CDrom... 3. Thai. 'Temple of the Jewelled Buddha'. Name of a temple in Kamphaeng Phet adjacent to a former royal palace. Many of the Buddha images in this temple are now tarnished by weather conditions and corroded by the ravages of time, but are because of this even ...for more order our CDrom... Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao (วัดพระแก้วดอนเต้า) Thai. 'Temple of the Jeweled Buddha on the highland of palm fruits'. Name of a temple in Lampang that was built by order of king Anantayot and where between 1436 and 1468 the Emerald Buddha was housed. Legend tells that a senior monk of the temple one day found an emerald stone in a watermelon which he had carved into a precious Buddha image. A watermelon in Northern-Thai dialect is called 'mahk tao', hence the etymological origin of the temple's name. The temple architecture is a mixture of styles and influences from Haripunchai, Burma and modern Thailand, with images and art in, among others, Mandalay and ...for more order our CDrom... Wat Phra Phutthabaat (วัดพระพุทธบาท) Thai. Temple in the province of Saraburi that houses a footprint of the Buddha in a small nicely decorated mondop. This giant footprint was discovered during the rule of king Song Tham (1610-1628) and bears the 108 auspicious signs of a buddha. The temple is one of the only few throughout Thailand conferred with ...for more order our CDrom...
Thai. Popular name for Wat Phra Sri Rattanamahathat in Phitsanulok. Wat Phra Sri Maha Uma Devi (วัดพระศรีมหาอุมาเทวี) Name of an temple in Bangkok which is commonly nicknamed Wat Kaek Silom, the 'Indian Temple of Silom' and devoted to the goddess Uma. It was built in the Rattanakosin period, around 1879 by a group of Indian people who lived in Bangkok and purchased a plot of land on Silom Road where they initially built a small sala named Sala Sri Mari Amman. It was looked after by a group of Indian Tamils who introduced their culture here, as they did in other parts of Asia. Later, Indian settlers who lived in Bangkok contributed in building the temple and in installing the principal image of the goddess Uma in the ubosot, in addition to images of many other Hindu deities, some imported from India. Annually the temple holds the ancient festival of Dushera, a festival dating from Vedic times and in which rituals are performed worshipping Uma as well as other deities. The festival continues for ten days and nights, and on the last night the image of Uma is carried around in a procession ...for more order our CDrom...
Wat Phra Sri Rattanamahathat (วัดพระศรีรัตนามหาธาตุ) Thai. Important temple in Phitsanulok that houses the Phraphut Chinnarat Buddha image (fig.). Abbreviated called Wat Phra Sri and fully named Wat Phra Sri Rattanamahathat Wora Maha Vihaan. The temple's pagoda contains a relic of the Buddha, hence the word Mahathat in its name.
Wat Phra Sri Rattana Sahtsadahrahm (วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม) The official Thai name of Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok. Wat Phra Sri Sanphet (วัดพระศรีสรรเพชญ์) Thai. The remains of a royal temple in Ayutthaya with three distinctive chedis. At the foundation of Ayutthaya the ground belonged to the royal palace and this remained so during the rule of king Ramathibodi I (fig.) in 1350 AD until after the reign of king Sam Phraya in 1448 AD. Only later, in 1448 AD, king Borommatrailokanat built a temple on this location. And after his reign his son Ramathibodi II had two chedis erected, one for the ashes of his father, the other for the ashes of his brother, king Borommarachathirat III. A third chedi was later built by order of king Boromrachanophuttangkun and was used for the remains of king Ramathibodi II. The vihaan was built in 1499 and in 1500 king Ramathibodi II had a standing Buddha image cast. This image, 16 meters high and covered with 171,6 kilogram gold, was the main object of worship. The smaller chedis on this temple compound contain the remains of other members of the royal family. Since the temple was a royal temple it was only used for royal ceremonies and didn't have a Sanghavasa. After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 the gold of the Buddha image was looted by the invaders, but the inside of the statue was later moved to Wat Phra Chetuphon by Rama I, where ...for more order our CDrom...
Wat Phrathat Cho Hae (วัดพระธาตุช่อแฮ) Thai. A well-known place of pilgrimage about 10 kms from the city centre of Phrae, where worshippers wrapped a satin cloth named Cho Hae, around the 33 meters high gilded chedi (fig.). This satin fabric, after which the temple is named, is believed to have come from Sipsongpannah.
Wat Phrathat Lampang Luang (วัดพระธาตุลำปางหลวง) Thai. Name of a temple in Lampang with an enclosing wall in Lan Na style. The wihaan, probably built in 1476, has a wooden roof in three layers and is supported by pillars made of teakwood. It is believed to be the oldest wooden building in Thailand.
Wat Phrathat Suthon Mongkon Khiri (วัดพระธาตุสุโทนมงคลคีรี) Thai. Temple in the tambon Den Chai in the province of Phrae with exceptional decorations and remarkable images (fig.). The temple was founded in 1984 by Phra Athikaan Montri (Phra Kruba Montri Dhamma) who sculpted his first Buddha image when he was only 5 years old. Today this monk is the abbot and a top artist and scholar in Buddhist art. The temple-monastery was built on an 20 meter high hill covering an area of 25 rai and is associated with the nearby northern Third Army base. It has an ubosot in Lan Na style which houses a replica of the Phraphut Chinnarat Buddha image and an impressive stupa in early Chiang Saen style with multiple peaks.
Thai. Temple in the city of Nan whose wihaan was previously depicted on the one baht banknote. According to city chronicles the temple was founded in 1696 AD by Phra Chao Chetabutpromin, the then ruler of Nan, and initially bore his name. The wihaan is important as it is the only one of its kind in Thailand built in jaturamuk style, i.e. four entrances, one for each point of the compass. Inside are four large Buddha images, called Phra Phratahn Jaturathit, seated with their backs against each other (fig.), so that every visitor, no matter through which door he enters, is always greeted by a Buddha image. The murals in the wihaan depict the historical life of Nan, folk tales and scenes from ...for more order our CDrom...
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