Wat
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225385667
2008-07-13T12:00:41Z
Zachorious
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:''This article is about a name for a Thai temple. For the Ethiopian dish, see [[Wat (food)]]. For the Japanese pop duo, see [[WaT]]. For the Laibach album, see ''[[WAT]]''. See also [[WAT (disambiguation)]].''
{{Mergefrom|Sala kan parian|date=July 2007}}
[[Image:PICT4861.JPG|thumb|right|The entrance to the ''Phra Viharn Luang'' (meeting hall) at Wat Suthat, one of the most important Buddhist temples in Bangkok]]
A '''wat''' (derived from the [[Pali]] word ''avasa'' as well as from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''avasatha'') is a [[monastery]] [[temple]] in [[Cambodia]], [[Thailand]] or [[Laos]]. The word "wat" (Thai วัด) (sometimes rendered "vat" when referring to Laos) means "school." Strictly speaking a wat is a [[Buddhist]] sacred precinct with monks' quarters , the temple proper, an edifice housing a large image of Buddha, and a structure for lessons. A Buddhist site without a minimum of three resident monks cannot correctly be described as a wat, although the term is frequently used more loosely, even for ruins of ancient temples. (As a transitive or intransitive verb, ''wat'' means to measure, to take measurements; compare ''templum'', which has the same root as ''template''.)
In everyday language in Thailand, a wat is any place of worship except a [[mosque]] (Thai สุเหร่า ''su-rao''; or มัสยิด Thai rendering of ''masjid''; a mosque may also be described as โบสด์ของอิสลาม ''bot khong Is-a-lam''). Thus ''wat cheen'' is a Chinese temple (either Buddhist or [[Taoism|Taoist]]), ''wat khaek'' is a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temple, and ''wat kris'' or ''wat krit'' or ''wat farang'' is a [[Christianity|Christian]] church, though Thai โบสด์ (โบด ''bot'') may be used descriptively as with ''mosque''.
== Structure ==
A typical Buddhist wat consists of the following buildings:
* '''[[stupa|chedi]]''' เจดีย์ (from [[Sanskrit]]: ''chaitya'', temple) - usually conical or bell-shaped buildings, often containing relics of Buddha
* '''viharn''' or '''wihaan''' วิหาร (from Sanskrit: ''[[vihara]]'' and Pali ''vihaan'' ) - a meeting and prayer room
* '''mondop''' มณฑป (from Sanskrit: ''[[Mandapa]]'') - a usually open, square building with four arches and a pyramidal roof, used to worship religious texts or objects
* '''[[Sala (architecture)|sala]]''' ศาลา (from Sanskrit: ''Shala'' - School, from an earlier meaning of ''shelter'') - a pavilion for relaxation or miscellaneous activities
* '''bot''' โบสถ์ or '''[[ubosoth]]''' อุโบสถ์ (from [[Pali]] ''[[uposatha]]'') - the holiest prayer room, also called the "ordination hall" as it is where new monks take their vows. Architecturally it is similar to the vihara; the main differences are the eight cornerstones placed around the bot to ward off evil. The bot is usually more decorated than the viharn.
* '''haw trai''' หอไตร - [[Tripitaka]] library where [[Buddhist texts|Buddhist scriptures]] are kept
* '''haw klawng''' หอกลอง - drum tower
* '''haw rakhang''' หอระฆัง - bell tower
The living quarters of the monks, including the กุฏิ (กุติ ''kuti'' or กุด ''kut'' - monk cells) are separated from the sacred buildings.
== Examples ==
{{Wiktionary}}
Some well-known '''wats''' include:
===Cambodia===
* [[Angkor Wat]], near [[Siem Reap]], [[Cambodia]]
* [[Silver Pagoda]], [[Phnom Penh]]
* [[Wat Phnom]], [[Phnom Penh]]
===Laos===
* [[That Luang|Pha That Luang]], [[Vientiane]], [[Laos]]
* [[Wat Xieng Thong]], [[Luang Prabang]]
===Thailand===
* [[Wat Suthat]], [[Bangkok]] [[Thailand]]
* [[Wat Benchamabophit]] (The Marble Temple), [[Bangkok]]
* [[Wat Ratchanadda]], [[Bangkok]]
* [[Wat Phra Kaew]], [[Bangkok]]
* [[Wat Arun]], [[Bangkok]]
* [[Wat Bowonniwet]], [[Bangkok]]
* [[Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep]], [[Chiang Mai]]
* [[Wat Aranyawiwake]], [[Chiang Mai]]
* [[Wat Chedi Luang]], [[Chiang Mai]]
* [[Phra Pathom Chedi|Wat Phra Pathom Chedi]], [[Nakhon Pathom]]
* [[Wat Phumin]], [[Nan, Thailand|Nan]]
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:AngkorWat.JPG|Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Image:Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh.jpg|Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh
Image:Wat Phnom-Phnom Penh-Cambodia.jpg|Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh
Image:Wat Phra That Chang Kham, bôt, chedi et viharn, Nan.jpg|Two viharns and a chedi at Wat Phra That Chang Kham, Nan
Image:Wat Suan Tan, bôt, Nan.jpg|Chedi and viharn at Wat Suan Tan, Nan
Image:PICT3737.JPG|Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang, Laos
</gallery>
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Religion in Thailand}}
[[Category:Buddhist temples in Cambodia]]
[[Category:Buddhist temples in Thailand| ]]
[[Category:Theravadan terms and concepts]]
[[Category:Theravada Buddhist temples| ]]
[[Category:Buddhist art and culture]]
[[Category:Cambodian culture]]
[[Category:Religion in Thailand]]
[[Category:Thai culture]]
[[Category:Buddhism in Laos]]
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