Wat Rakhangkhositraram
Woramahavihara (Wat Rakhang) is situated on the Thonburi
side, opposite Tha Chang Wang Luang Pier. Wat Rakhangkhositraram
was originally called Wat Bang Wa Yai and was an ancient temple
built during the Ayutthaya Period. King Taksin raised its status
to that of a royal temple and had it used as the side of a Buddhist
council to recompile the tripikata. In the First Reign , an ancient
bell was discovered on the temple grounds and since that time the
temple has been know as Wat Rakhang, or the Temple of the Bell.
King Rama I has the bell, which has good tone, removed to the Wat
Phrasrirattana Sassadaram.
The important buildings include the
Golden Palace, where King Taksin and the Supreme Patriarch ( Sri
) resided, and the phra ubosot and tripitaka tower built in the
First Reign and decorated with murals.
A building in Wat Rakhangkhositaram
that is considered a beautiful example of Thai architecture is the
tripitaka tower. Originally this tower was in the middle of a pond
that was dug behind the phra ubosot. The tower consists of three
identical structures built from timber removed from a palace in
which King Rama I had resided before ascending the throne. The outside
walls are painted with red ocher while the inside walls are covered
with murals depicting the daily life of that time painted by Acharn
Nak. The door panels are decorated with lai rod nam designs and
beautiful carvings. There are also the large tripitaka bookcases
dating from the Ayutthaya Period in the north and south rooms.
|