Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram

Keywords : Wat Phra Sri Rattanasatsadaram, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Artwork alternative name	Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Site common name	Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram
Site alternative name	Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Type of artwork	Architecture
Sub district	Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang
District	Khet Phra Nakhon
Province	Bangkok
Region	Central
Country	Thailand
Geographic Coordinates Decimal degree	Lat : 13.751359 Long : 100.492564
Geographic Coordinates UTM	Zone : 47 P Hemisphere : N E : 661375.52 N : 1520724.18
Place of artwork	In the temple’s public precincts in the east of the Grand Palace

History of production	King Rama I commissioned to build the Temple in 1782.
Production process	Most of the buildings are made of brick and stucco and contain architectural elements of high rank.
Conservation	Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram has been constantly restored and conserved. Complete restoration were carried out in the reign of King Rama III, and on the occasion of the centennial celebration of Rattanakosin in 1882 in the time of King Rama V. Also, King Rama VII had the temple fully restored on the occasion of the City’s sesquicentennial celebration. Additionally, King Rama IX commissioned to completely restore the temple for the Rattanakosin’s bicentennial celebration in 1982. H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was the head of the restoration.
Art	The Ubosot of Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram is a masonry traditional building with wooden and glazed terra-cotta tiled roof. It has a roof composed of two superimposed tiers, and the pediments are decorated with a wooden gable bearing a gilded figure of Narayana on a Garuda decorated with glass mosaics. The roof is also adorned with traditional Thai roof finials, and the redented roof-supporting columns are gilded and decorated with glass mosaics. The capitals of the columns are decorated with pointed, superimposed lotus petals. Also, the roof eave is supported by brackets. The exterior wall of the Ubosot is gilded and decorated with a colored glass mosaics in lotus bud motifs. In the Ubosot, the Emerald Buddha is housed on a grand multi-tiered pedestal in front of which are several important Buddha Images, i.e. Phra Putthayotfachulalok, Phra Putthaloetla, Phra Samphutthaphanni, etc. Mural paintings displayed on the interior wall depict Tribhumi, Buddha’s life story, the royal parade, and the royal barge procession. Other significant buildings of the temple are as follows: in the north of the Ubosot, Phra Sriratana Chedi is erected on a tiered supporting base. The bell-shaped Chedi replicates the original Chedi at Wat Phrasisanphet in Ayutthaya Province. The Chedi is fully ornamented with golden tiles. Next to the Chedi, is Phra Mondop where Tipiṭaka or the Buddhist scriptures are kept. The building with a square plan has a multi-tiered conical roof with a spire on top. Its doors feature pearl-inlaid work. Dvarapala Yakṣa sculptures stand in front of the building, and the step entrance are flanked by figures of Nāgas with human’s face. In the same area, the Royal Pantheon, a four-porched building with a multi-tiered roof and a stupa on top, is situated. The four pediments are decorated with royal emblems of King Rama I to King Rama IV. The window panels are adorned with royal emblems of King Rama I to King Rama V. The Royal Pantheon houses statues of the previous kings of the Rattanakosin Era.
School	Artisans
Key academic information	Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is a national sacred monastery of the Rattanakosin era. The construction of the temple began when the new Capital City was founded in 1782. It is the temple for performing important ceremonies of the Thai Royal Court; for example, the ceremony of changing the costume of the Emerald, the ceremony of drinking the waters of allegiance, and royally sponsored ordination ceremonies at the Royal Chapel in the Grand Palce. As the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is not resided by any monks, so the temple has only the public precincts seperated from the Grand Palace by a cloister. The concept of building a royal temple was passed on from the Ayutthaya period during which Wat Phrasisanphet was the royal temple. The most important building in the temple’s public precincts is the Ubosot or ordination hall. Built in the reign of King Rama I, the Ubosot enshrines Phraputthamahamanirattanapatimakon or the Emerald Buddha. Other significant buildings include Hor Phra Monthian Dharma, Phra Siratana Chedi, the Royal Pantheon, Phra Asada Maha Chedi, Phra Wihan Yod, and Hor Phra Naga. Each building was built at different times and has particular importance. This reflects the continuing significance of Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram during the Rattanakosin Era.
Period	Historical Period
Art period	Rattanakosin
Age	24th Buddhist century
Religion	Buddhism
Sect	Theravada
Religion and belief	Theravada, Traditions in the Thai Royal Court
Related artwork	Wat Phrasisanphet, Ayutthaya

Type of License	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)
Rights	Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre
Date of record creation	2016-06-15
Record creator	Patsaweesiri Premkulanan
Bibliography	กรมศิลปากร. จดหมายเหตุการบูรณะปฏิสังขรณ์วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดารามและพระบรมมหาราชวัง ในการฉลองพระนครครบ 200 ปี พุทธศักราช 2525 : ภาคที่ 1 วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม. กรุงเทพฯ : กรมศิลปากร, 2525. สุภัทรดิศ ดิศกุล, หม่อมเจ้า. ประวัติวัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม. กรุงเทพฯ : สำนักพระราชวัง, 2534.