This Is Thailand

Wat Uposatharam (Wat Bot Manorom)

Wat Uposatharam formerly named Wat Bot Manorom, is sometimes called Wat Bot. It is an old temple on the Sakae Krang Riverside, on Ko Thepho, in the Mueang Municipality area. From the municipal fresh market, cross the bridge to the temple which is on the east side of the river. The interesting things to see include mural paintings in the ordination hall and wihan, which were made in the early Rattanakosin era. The paintings in the ordination hall were elaborately made, depicting the biography of Lord Buddha from the time when he was born until he died. In the wihan, there are paintings of Lord Buddha, preaching to gods in Heaven and the scene when he was resolving to enter nirvana. On the upper part of the wall, there is a picture of a gathering of monks, switching with Phat Yot, a long-handled fan of an ecelesiastical rank, which seems to show respect to the principal Buddha image. On the outside wall in front of the wihan, there is a picture of Lord Buddha’s cremation and the picture of villagers’ ways of life along the Buddhist concepts. It is believed to have been made by craftsmen of a later time. In addition, inside Wat Uposatharam, there are other interesting things to see, such as Sema, a leaf-like boundary sign made of red stone, in front of the ordination hall, a cabinet to keep Buddhist scriptures and a storage closet painted with the floral Kanok vine pattern. In addition, there is a Bat, a monk alms-bowl, with the lid decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay which was given by King Rama V and made by Chang Sip Mu (the Ten Departments of Craftsmen), as well as a Hong – Hamsa or Swan – on top of the column. There are also many attractive forms of architecture to visit such as the Octagonal Mondop which is a combination of the Western and Thai styles and has a decoration made of stucco, looking like climbing plants on the window frames; a high-relief cement Buddha image which is situated outside the building; three chedis of 3 periods comprising hexagonal chedi of the Ayutthaya period, a chedi with twelve angles of the Rattanakosin period, and a bell-shaped chedi of the Sukhothai period; Uthai Phutthasapha Conference Hall which is a pavilion in a typical Thai style, used as a praying hall, having a gable with stucco relief decoration; and Phae Bot Nam, a floating ordination hall in front of the temple which was built to receive King Rama V when he visited the North Circle in 1906. It was formerly a twin raft-house with Cho Fa – a gable apex, and Bai Raka – a leaf-shaped roof-edging, like other ordination halls. On the gable, there is a circle with Pali scripts reading “Su Agata Te Maha Raja” which means Maha Raja – great king – comes well. Later, in 1976, it was repaired to be one 2-storeyed building, including a raised platform, with a hip roof. The circle was moved to place in the middle of the gable. This Phae Bot Nam is used in religious rites such as weddings, ordinations, funerals, and various merit-making occasions.

Old City of Uthai Thani

Old City of Uthai Thani is located at Ban Uthai Thani Kao. It was the location of Mueang Uthai Thani since the Ayutthaya Period. Now the ruins still exist, such as Wat Hua Mak, Wat Yang, and Wat Kuti, while the surrounding areas have become rice fields. The temple which remains the same until now is Wat Chaeng. In this temple, there is a prang built in 1538 whose top was destroyed by the Burmese army. The latest repair was in 1985. The old ordination hall is small and has one door, in a style of the late Ayutthaya period. The stucco relief pattern of the prang and on the ordination hall’s gable were made by the same craftsmen. The mural paintings in the ordination hall were made after the latest repair, which depicts the duty of King Taksin the Great. Another remaining temple is Wat Hua Mueang which has ruins of an Ayutthayan-styled ordination hall and small ancient pagoda in front of the old ordination hall.

To get there, from Nong Chang Market at Prasat Wet School T-Junction, drive along the route to Wat Nong Khun Chat. Turn right at the T-junction and drive toward the opposite direction to Wat Nong Khun Chat for about 1 km. until you arrive at Wat Chaeng. Wat Hua Mueang is 1 km. beyond from Wat Chaeng.