Phra Phaisachayaguru

Keywords : Khon Kaen National Museum, Arogayasala, King Jayavarman VII , Phaisachayaguru, Watcharatara

Artwork alternative name	Phra Watcharatara
Site common name	Khon Kaen National Museum
Type of artwork	Sculpture
Sub district	Nai Mueang
District	Mueang Khon Kaen
Province	Khon Kaen
Region	Northeast
Country	Thailand
Geographic Coordinates Decimal degree	Lat : 16.446119 Long : 102.83852
Geographic Coordinates UTM	Zone : 48 Q Hemisphere : N E : 269213.66 N : 1819516.46
Place of artwork	Inside Khon Kaen National Museum

History of production	There is no direct evidence related to the origin. However, the discovery inside Ku Kaew, a chapel of Arogayasala that was built under the order of King Jayavarman VII, and the style of the sculpture that is similar to Khmer Arts in Bayon style suggest that this sculpture might be built around the 18^th century B.E. in the reign of King Jayavarman VII. This style of sculpture can be found in many chapels of Arogayasala. The style and the size are all similar. It is then believed that all of the sculptures were built at the same time and afterward sent to be placed at chapels of Arogayasala in different locations.
Production process	Carved sandstone
Conservation	Found at Ku Kaew, Don Chang sub-district, Amphoe Mueang, Khon Kaen province. This is a chapel of Arogayasala.
Art	The sculpture is sitting on a base in a meditation position, decorated with lotus petal pattern. The face is in a square shape. The eyebrows are sharp and nearly straight and the eyes are widely open. The mouth is protruding. It is wearing a crown with a visor and layers of tiaras and round shape earrings on the ears. The upper part of the body is bare and both hands are holding bolts in front of the stomach.
Key academic information	It is still under discussion whether this type of sculpture belongs to which deity. The sculpture is holding the bolts in both hands in front of the stomach. This makes people believe that it is a sculpture of Phra Watcharatara who is the highest in Mahayana Buddhism. However, since this style of sculpture can be found in many chapels of Arogayasala, some historians believe that this is a sculpture of Phra Phaisachayaguru, the The Buddha of Medicine in Mahayana Buddhism.
Notice	It is still under discussion whether this type of sculpture belongs to which deity. The first assumption suggests that this should be the sculpture of Phra Watcharatara who is the highest in Mahayana Buddhism because the sculpture is holding the bolts in both hands in front of the stomach which is similar to many sculptures of Phra Watcharatara found in the land such as Tibet and Nepal where Mahayana Buddhism is prosperous. The second assumption suggests that this sculpture might be Phra Phaisachayaguru, the Buddha of Medicine in Mahayana Buddhism. The reason is because this type of sculpture can be found at the chapels of Arogayasala or the chapels of the hospital where many of the places have inscriptions clearly stating that the sculpture had been ordered to be built and some of the contents also praise Phra Phaisachayaguru; therefore, some historians believe that this sculpture belongs to Phra Phaisachayaguru.
Period	Historical Period
Art period	Lopburi, Khmer Art in Thailand
Age	18th century B.E.
Religion	Buddhism
Sect	Mahayana
Related artwork	Sculpture holding bolts from other chapels of Arogayasala such as sculptures from Ku Kanthanam, Phon Sai District, Roi-et

Type of License	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)
Rights	Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre
Date of record creation	2016-09-30
Record creator	Rungroj Thamrungraeng
Bibliography	รุ่งโรจน์ ภิรมย์อนุกูล. “ประติมานวิทยาของรูปเคารพในสุคตาลัย ศาสนสถานประจำอโรคยศาล” เมืองโบราณ, ปีที่ 40, ฉบับที่ 3 (กรกฎาคม-กันยายน 2557), หน้า 108-121. รุ่งโรจน์ ภิรมย์อนุกูล. “อโรคยศาล ความรู้ทั่วไปและข้อสังเกตเบื้องต้น” เมืองโบราณ, ปีที่ 30, ฉบับที่ 3 (กรกฎาคม-กันยายน 2547), หน้า 15-53.