Last Updated on June 24, 2019 by PowersToTravel
Following our visit to the Jungle Market, Lucky turned the van down the road to Lamphun and Wat Phra That Hariphunchai. Due to the closure of one of the temples in Lampang for repairs we had an extra hour on our hands before lunch. When all else fails, there is always a temple nearby at which a guide may entertain guests! In this case, Wat Phra That Hariphunchai did not disappoint.
The Thai temple assaults one’s senses with color and shape. Although clouds filled the sky, the golden chedi and its golden fence gleamed brightly. In every direction a new Buddhist icon beaconed. Ornately textured woven banners flew from the roofs. Vibrantly painted murals lined the walls, telling the story of Buddha. Golden statues filled the interior. Gold, black and red designs ornamented the roofs and pillars. Stone / ceramic roosters perched on every step or wall. Brightly painted, they vied for our attention with the naga serpents.
Anyone interested in the decorative arts cannot consider themselves educated until they have visited the temples in Thailand!
A large monk sat silent and immobile on a dais. I paused and was startled. Bom explained that often a community, following the death of a famous or favorite monk, would create a wax figure of their loved one. The figure would become a familiar statue to remind the people they were still cared for.
As at every temple, donation jars or boxes or what-have-you lined the sides. They labeled the boxes each in some way differently, of course in Thai so I couldn’t understand them. They encourage the people to give according to their choice: perhaps the day of the week, or their favorite mythical animal.
Outside, many of the devout, lotus flower in hand, heads bowed, slowly walked the square path that ‘encircled’ the large chedi (big pointy dome) base. They paused from time to time to face the center and pray. Around and around they went.
To accentuate the solemnity, tiny bells tinkled in the wind. I searched and finally located the golden bells suspended from the sides of the chedi.
This temple may not host the huge reclining Buddha of Wat Po, or the richness of the Emerald Buddha of Wat Phra Keow, but even in the overcast, I could have spend hours here, listening to the bells, finding new colorful creatures to photograph, new ornaments to study.
Related Links
Here’s an awesome site with lots of information about the temples we had been seeing. It gets a bit more technical than I was able to absorb during our trip, but helps explain to me the differences that I was perceiving between the styles.
Check out this article of mine too:
Thailand Travel Blog – Itinerary, Impressions and Diabetic Travel Tips
