Wat Thepthidaram, "Temple of the Great Poet", Bangkok, Thailand
Wat Thepthidaram on Mahachai Road is across the road from the old Fort Mahakarn community. Rama III built this temple in 1836, another of the many temples he built during his reign. The temple was built in honor of HRH Prince Apsorn Sudathep. Characteristic of temples built during the Third Reign, the wat has a Thai structure with a distinct Chinese decor. The gables of the buildings are embedded with Chinese porcelain pieces; numerous old Chinese statues can be seen in the temple grounds. Four old prangs, rectangular columns with sculptured surfaces reminiscent of the Ayuthaya or Khmer periods, stand at each corner of the ubosot or ordination hall which houses a white marble Buddha statue. Sunthorn Phu (1786 – 1856) the famous Thai poet, considered the Shakespeare of Thai literature, was ordained as a monk here. Ironically, he lived here after he fell out of favor with King Rama III, over poetry of all things! The quarters, where he spent three years of his tumultuous life, are preserved at the rear of the temple compound. Some of his unpublished manuscripts were left in his quarters after his death. But unfortunately these have been destroyed by the humidity and pests Wat Thepthidaram was declared a national monument by the Fine Arts Department in 1977. In 1986, UNESCO honored Sunthorn Phu for his outstanding cultural contributions, 131 years after his death. He was awarded the title, Great Personality of the World for his contributions to mankind.
Size: 5140px × 3416px
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Photo credit: © Igor Prahin / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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