Wat Kalayanamitr
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
Location
CountryThailand
Wat Kanlayanamit is located in Bangkok
Wat Kanlayanamit
Shown within Bangkok
Geographic coordinates13°44′24″N 100°29′28″E / 13.739939°N 100.491226°E / 13.739939; 100.491226
Architecture
FounderChaophraya Nikonbodin
Completed1825

Wat Kalayanamitr Varamahavihara (Thai: วัดกัลยาณมิตรวรมหาวิหาร, RTGS: Wat Kanlayanamit Woramahawihan, IPA: [wát kanlajaːnamít wɔːráʔmahǎːwíʔhǎːn]) is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is located in Wat Kanlaya sub-district, on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya River. The temple was established in 1825 by Chaophraya Nikonbodin (born To, Thai: เจ้าพระยานิกรบดินทร์ (โต)), a wealthy Thai Chinese trader,[1] who donated the temple to Rama III. Chaophraya Nikonbodin was an ancestor of the Kalayanamitr family, whose descendants include Saprang Kalayanamitr. A poem inscribed in the temple reads:

ThaiTranscriptionEnglish
วัดกัลยาณมิตรคนสนิทกษัตริย์สร้าง
งามสล้างรุ่งเรืองดั่งเมืองสรวง
เป็นที่เคารพสักการะคนทั้งปวง
เพราะในหลวงจักรีวงศ์ทรงอุ้มชูฯ
 Wat Kalayanamitr khon sanit kasat sang
Ngam salang rung rueang dang mueang suang
Pen thi khaorop sakkara khon thang puang
Phro nailuang chakkriwong song umchu		 True friend temple was built by a close friend of the King
As glorious, beautiful, and prominent as the city of heaven
It is respected and worshiped by all people
Because it is cherished by the Chakri Dynasty King[2]

Wat Kalayanamitr Varamahavihara is one of three family temples of the Kalayanamitr family, along with Wat Rakhang and Wat Chakkrawatdirachawat Woramahawihan. The family name Kalayanamitr derives from a poem inscribed in the temple.[2]

The ordination hall, stands out on the riverbank. It houses a huge Buddha image, Phra Buddha Trai Rattananayok (พระพุทธไตรรัตนนายก), or Luang Pho To (หลวงพ่อโต, Big Buddha) in Thai, known among the ethnic Chinese as Sampokong (ซำปอกง; Chinese: 三寶公). It is the largest Buddha image in Bangkok, in the same style as the Big Buddha at Wat Phanan Choeng in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Therefore making the ordination hall of this temple very large and clearly visible from the river. Both Buddha images are regarded as representatives of both Buddha and Zheng He. Thais and Thais of Chinese descent hold fast to the belief that paying respect to the image brings prosperity and fortune, as well as safe journeys throughout the year.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Bangkok begins
  2. 1 2 Nation Blog, เบื้องลึก ตระกูลกัลยาณมิตร ของ พล.อ.สพรั่ง, 1 February 2007
  3. ↑ Num lukthung (5 January 2010). "ไหว้ซำปอกง เสริมมงคลรับปีใหม่" [Pay homage Sampokong for the New Year's fortune]. ASTV Manager (in Thai).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wat Kanlayanamit.

13°44′24″N 100°29′29″E / 13.74000°N 100.49139°E / 13.74000; 100.49139

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.