Thailand is host to a total of 40,717 Buddhist temples located across the country. Thai Office of National Buddhism offers that there are 33,902 active temples in Thailand. Of those active temples, 31,890 are Maha Nikaya and 1,987 Dhammayuttika Nikaya or Theravada school wat. There are also twelve Chinese Nikaya, and thirteen Anam Nikaya Mahayana school temples. There are also 272 temples designed in the style of the Maha Nikaya and Dhammayut orders, classified as royal temple architecture. Royal wisungkhamasima temple status has also been granted to 20,281 of the nation’s temples.
Festivals and religious holiday observance surrounding Thailand’s many temples and wats offer a rich cultural opportunity for those visiting the country. Explore the Wats and Temples of Thailand, and learn about the history of Buddhist architecture. For visitors seeking in-depth engagement with Thai Buddhist temple architecture, the northern city of Chiang Mai is the location of more than 300 wat open to the public.
Temple Architecture
The meaning of the Buddhist temple or wat, is a derivation from the “enclosure”. The structural symbolism of the wat is that the world is divided between the ecumenical and secular in built space. The architecture of a temple has seen many modifications in the course of Thailand’s history. While distinctions persist in layout and style, the structural elements adhere to the classical principles of the “enclosure”. The expression of those rules are found in the Phutthawat and the Sangkhawat of most Thai temples.
Temple elements
Thai wat roof components are one of the most striking elements seen in Buddhist temple architecture. The three or four multi-tier, ornamented roof is shared solely by palace and some public institution design. The ornamental elements of a Thai Buddhist temple are instrumental to lightening the appearance of an otherwise massive roof area engineered to cover these broad structures. Modular in construction, Thai Buddhist wat roofs are designed with two to four breaks per tier. Visual rhythm is the effect of Thai Buddhist temple roof design. The dynamism of wat roof construction is achieved through installation of multiple tiers, as well as breaks. Patterning adds beauty and strength to the wat’s roof design. Northern temples are the largest seen in Thai temple roof architecture.
Finials decorating the roof at the gable ends attribute structure or lamyong in the form of a serpentine nag sadung diety. The lower finial to a Thai temple, a hang hong, is traditionally shaped like a naga’s head or multiple heads, styled with kranok motifs similar to a flame design. Multiple breaks or tiers in the roof will normally have identical hang hong finials on each section located on the bottom. The peak of the lamyong is host to the chofah, a sizable ornamental structure resembling a bird beak, evoking a Garuda.
Temple Icons
The merge of the Thai Theravada Buddhism and Hindu cultures in the 10th century, introduced Hindu statuary elements to Thai wat architecture. Thai iconography of Vishnu; Shiva; Ganesh; and Yaksha appear throughout temple architecture in the country. Thai Buddhist temple architecture continues to influence global wat style.
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