Wat Aranyawaht (วัดอรัญญวาส)

Thai. ‘Forest-dwelling Temple’. Name of a Theravada Buddhist temple of the Mahanikaya sect located in Ban Pong (บ้านปง), Hahng Dong (หางดง) District, Chiang Mai Province. The temple is believed to have been established around 1843 AD during the time of Kruh Bah Jinnah (ครูบาจินนา). The place name pong (ปง) denotes a low-lying or water-retentive area along a riverbank, typically characterised by mineral-rich ground that attracts animals, reflecting the environmental setting of the community. In academic terms, the temple holds significance in the historical, social, and political context of the Lan Na Kingdom, as evidenced through its wihaan mural paintings, which represent valuable examples of Buddhist art and convey the religious devotion and cultural life of the period. The architectural and artistic elements together illustrate regional Lan Na stylistic traditions. An interesting feature of the temple is its ho trai, the library building or scripture hall that contains the scripture cabinets filled with Buddhist manuscripts called Traipitok, written on fragile palm leaves called bai lahn (fig.). Made from wood, its stands on concrete poles in the middle of a pond, in order to protect it against fires as well as to prevent crawling insects such as termites from reaching the scriptures and damaging them. Situated on a hill behind the temple is a stupa called Phrathat Chedi Sri Meuang Pong (fig.). Although its original date of construction and patronage remain unknown, the structure has been enclosed within a later-built metal casing, effectively transforming it into a lohaprasat, the fourth of its kind in the world and only the second in Thailand, the other being located in Bangkok (fig.). WATCH VIDEO. 回