Part 2: Theoretical Frameworks and Relevant Documents
3. Wat Khian
Social Value
Nowadays, this temple is surrounded by 7 villages and the temple serves as the community’s center for worship and meetings. Moreover, as many Thai kings went to pay homage to this image at this temple so, this temple represents a memorial to the kings who came to pay homage at this temple for the communities. At present, this temple is one of the most famous tourist destinations for religious tourism of Angthong province as well. In 2006, National Office of Buddhism in Ang Thong Province promoted the temple’s compound of Wat Khun Inthapramoon to be a Phutthamonthon of Ang Thong Province. Phutthamonthon is a Buddhist park for setting Buddhists’ activities on the Buddhist days such as Visakah Puja day which commemorates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. Furthermore, many special events for promoting domestic tourism in Ang Thong have been sat up on the temple’s compound by using the reclining Buddha image as the back-drop for the events. Thus, these make this Buddha image to be famous and become a landmark for tourism in Ang Thong Province as well.
Figure 13 Likay Festival at Wat Khun In
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public thoroughfare, to the south is a small road which is named “Klong Chang”, to the east is a small canal and Klong Chang village and to the west is a highway road No. 3454. The temple is on the flooded plain on the bank of the Noi River. The buildings inside the temple compound are comprised of 1.) the ordination hall, its width 7.40 meters and its length 9.60 meters. 2.) a group of five stupas on pedestal 3.) a pavilion (Sala Kan Parian) was built in 1982. 4.) a praying hall was built in 1982. 5.) a group of residences for monks 6.) a bell tower and 7.) a crematorium (Men).
Historic Value
Wat Khian is a small Buddhist temple belonging to the Mahanikaya Sect. There was no evidence regarding the date construction of this temple. Therefore, it is not possible to identify the time that it was built. However, based on the surrounding area and the characteristics of nearby temples such as Wat Luang and Wat Nang Nai, it is likely that Wat Khian and other temples in the vicinity were built during the same period and had been abandoned for quite a long time before they were restored. Archeological traces at this temple such as the ordination hall, the stone boundary markers, and the square based stupa with twelve indented corners, tend to support the assumption that this temple was constructed in the late Ayutthaya period. Therefore, mural paintings on the wall inside the ordination hall are believed to belong to the same period also.
Moreover, the land document issued by Buddhist Monastery Division identifies that the temple was granted of the land to a particular temple by announcing in royal decree in the reign of King Narai the Great in 1660. King Narai the Great was the king of Ayutthaya from 1649-1681 and his reign was in the late Ayutthaya period. Moreover, the archeological traces at this temple also represent the establishment of surrounding communities and the establishment of Mueang Wiset Chai Chan as well.
There are two hypotheses on the name Wat Khian. One is that, because inside the ordination hall there were beautiful mural paintings, the temple so was named Wat Khian (Khian means draw in Thai.) This is similar to the Assembly Hall Khian (Vihara Khian) at Wat Pa Mok, Ang Thong Province. This assumption was conceived by Somdej Chao Fah Krom Phraya Narisaranuwattiwongs. Another assumption is that the temple was already called Wat Khian and, in order to be consistent with the name, pictures were drawn inside the ordination hall.
The ordination hall of Wat Khian had fallen into decline. In 1973, H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited to offer royal Khathin robes to the monks at this temple and inspected a serious state of deterioration of the ordination hall. The princess helped initiate a renovation of the old ordination hall. The old roof had to be displaced and new walls constructed around the weak structure. The original character of the site was preserved as much as possible.
At present, a new roof is set in place and the ordination hall is restored in a good condition. The great goodness of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for renovating this ordination hall as a fine religious and historic edifice has become an remarkable memorial for the people in the communities until nowadays. At present, the mural paintings of Wat Khian are considered as the most beautiful mural paintings in Ang Thong province.
Figure 14 King Rama IX visited Wat Khian
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Aesthetic Value
Ordination Hall (Ubosot)
The ordination Hall of Wat Khian faces east. The original ordination hall was quite small and was constructed in masonry with plastering work. There was only one entrance in front of the principle Buddha image. Behind the principle Buddha image was a false door. On each of the side walls there were three windows, two of which were small square windows. The other one was a false window. The columns inside the ordination hall are square posts adjacent to the walls.
Their capitals were in the form of a lotus with long petals, which are typical of lotus-shaped capitals of the late Ayutthaya period. The pediments were small and made of wood carved in the thepphanom (angel with palms pressed together) and krachang ruan motifs. The roof structure was made of wood, only one gable roof and covered with reddish brown tiles, with eaves on the two sides featuring the same motifs as those on the pediments.
Figure 15 Old ordinational hall of Wat Khian (Panot Asawachai, 2014.)
Inside the ordination hall, beautiful mural paintings decorate the walls. The paintings at the entrance present the Himavanta Forest, a legendary forest which surrounds the base of Mount Meru in Hindu mythology. The details show there are many ponds in the forest, including the Anotatta Pond, with all kinds of elephants and mythical animals such as the gajasimha, elephant-lion living around the Pond. Murals on the south wall show episodes from Sudhana Jataka, one of the fifty tales in Panyasana Jataka. On the north side, murals show the ten final incarnations of the Lord Buddha, Dasajati Jataka. They begin with the Temiya Jataka and the
Mahajanaka Jataka, going on to the Suwannasama Jataka, and so on. Nowadays, many scenes from the episodes in the Temiya, Nemiraja and Brahmanarada Jatakas have faded. On the wall behind the principle Buddha image is a mural of falling flowers in black background. The murals above the windows on the north and south sides show an assembly of celestial beings. Above the dividing lines, Sintao, hermits, foreign scholars, and Makkaliphala, mythical fruits in the form of beautiful females are depicted.
Inside the ordination hall, the principle Buddha image sits upon a pedestal in a meditative posture, surrounded by several other standing Buddha images in Pacifying the ocean posture. Above the principle Buddha image, there is a five-tiered parasol.
In 1973, when Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn came to offer the kathin (robes) to monks at this temple, having seen the dilapidated ordination hall, in which rain water leaked and washed off and damaged the paintings inside, the Princess advised an instruction to have the ordination hall renovated and restored. In compliance with her royal command, a reinforced concrete structure at the size of 7.40 meters (width) and 9.60 meters (length) was constructed over the original ordination hall. The original structure was retained. That is, there is only one entrance. The roof structure was modified to be two-tiered roof. The roof uses nowadays roofing material.
Figure 16 Principle Buddha image of Wat Khian (Panot Asawachai, 2014.)
Figure 17 Renovated ordination hall of Wat Khian (Panot Asawachai, 2014.)
Figure 18 Mural painting of Wat Khian.
(Panot Asawachai, 2014.)
(a) (b) Figure 19 Mural painting on the south and north walls
(Panot Asawachai, 2014.) Boundary markers
The sandstone boundary markers are placed around the ordination hall at eight points of the ordination hall’s area. These eight sandstone boundary markers belong to the late Ayutthaya period. A special characteristic of the boundary markers of the late Ayutthaya period is that, that they are made of white sandstone. They used to be placed on lion-footed pedestals and pedestals in form of a group of lotuses. These is a central stripe as wide as the edge of the boundary marker. At the center of this stripe are the “breast” of the boundary markers, in the prachamyam design that looks like thabsuang, a breast ornament. Above the central part or the
“breast” of the boundary marker is two round-shaped flowers called the eyes of the boundary markers. The top is in the form of a crown. At the waist or the tapered mid-section is the finials in the Thai kanok motif. When the ordination hall was built, the boundary markers had to be located at the same time. Therefore the old ordination hall is believed to have been constructed during the late Ayutthaya period.
Figure 20 Boundary stone at Wat Khian (Panot Asawachai, 2014.)
Square-based stupa with twelve indented corners
A stupa of the late Ayutthaya period on a square-base with twelve indented corners stands in front of the ordination hall of Wat Khian. It is on the east side of the temple because the ordination hall faces to the east. This stupa explains the special characteristic of the late Ayutthaya period that is, its bell-shaped part is smaller and decorated with ornamental stucco.
Moreover, during the late Ayutthaya period, stupas were typically constructed in front of the ordination hall. The square-based stupa with twelve indented corners at Wat Khian follows the concept popular during the late Ayutthaya period. During that time it was common to build stupas with twenty or twelve indented corners in front of the ordination hall on the east side, like those at Wat Sam Wihan and Wat Phyaman in Ayutthaya Province.
Figure 21 Stupa at Wat Khian (Panot Asawachai, 2014.)
Social Value
Today, the temple is the community’s center for worship, community meetings, education, cremations and enshrining ashes of the deceased. Tt is also one of the nine temples in Ang Thong that are well-known for Thai Buddhist pilgrimage. As in 1973, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn came to offer the kathin (robes) to monks at this temple. Having seen the dilapidated ordination hall, the Princess gave an instruction to have the ordination hall renovated and restored. Therefore, her royal command for renovating and restoring this temple represents a memorial for the community.