Wat That Thong (วัดธาตุทอง)

Thai. Name of a royal monastery and funeral temple in Bangkok's Sukhumvit area, of which construction was started in 1938 by combining the names of two existing and historically related temples from elsewhere in the city, namely Wat Na Phra That and Wat Thong Lang, to become Wat That Thong. The wisung khama sima, i.e. the royal granting of the land to have the temple constructed, which materializes in the presenting of the consecrated boundary foundation stone of the ordination hall, was bestowed by King Rama VIII on 24 October 1940. In 2007, Princess Galyani Watthana took the temple under her patronage and consequently presented a new logo, with her personal seal bearing her initials (fig.), to the monastery. On 29 May 2012, King Bhumipol Adulyadej, i.e. Rama IX, raised the monastery's level to a third class royal temple. The compound of Wat That Thong has a chedi that contains relics of the Buddha. The Phra prathaan, i.e. the principal Buddha image, is housed in the ubosot which was built in 1952 and is known as Phra Suppanyu (พระสัพพัญญู). The statue is seated in the half lotus position and depicted with a bhumisparsa mudra. In front of this principal Buddha image are several other Buddha statues, the more notable being the gilded one to the left which is known as Phra Phutta Chinintara (พระพุทธชินินทร) seated in the maravijaya pose, and the gilded one to the right which is known as Luang Pho Phra Phutta Abhipala Puang Chon (หลวงพ่อพระพุทธอภิบาลปวงชน) and seated in the pastoral care pose, whilst in between them is a bonze Buddha image that is known as Phra Phutta Monthon Preecha Sukhothai (พระพุทธมนต์ปรีชา สุโขทัย) and which is also seated in the maravijaya pose. Though most Buddhist temples in Thailand have a crematorium, some temples in larger cities, such as this one, focus primarily on the organization of funerals, on an almost industrial scale, and from the services held for relatives to the cremation of the remains, as well as the storage of the ashes in sepulchral vaults. In full, the temple is known as Wat That Thong Phra Aram Luang (วัดธาตุทองพระพระอารามหลวง). See also TRAVEL PICTURES (1), (2) and (3), and MAP. 回