Wat Rachathiwat

Wat Rachathiwat Ratchaworawihan or simply Wat Rachathiwat, is a second-class royal monastery of the ratchaworawihan type, located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River in the Wachiraphayaban subdistrict of Dusit, Bangkok. The monastery is affiliated with the Dhammayuttika Nikaya, a reform order of Thai Theravada Buddhism.

Name

Originally called "Wat Liap", the temple is from the late Ayutthaya period. It has been continuously renovated from the reign of Rama I to Rama III. During the reign of King Rama I, his nephew Prince Krom Luang Thepharirak paid for the temple to be restored and turned into a royal monastery. The name "Ratchaburana" which means "restored by the king" was given to it. During King Rama II's reign, the temple collected a lot of Buddha statues and built the vihāra to hold 80 of them.
The temple was badly damaged during World War II in 1945 and was even taken off the official list of buildings. It was rebuilt, and the main buildings, including the Ubosot, were finished in 1960.

Architecture and art

The most interesting part of the monastery is the Khmer-style prang, which was built during the reign of King Rama III and then restored in 1962 and again in 2007. The ordination hall was designed by Prince Narisara Nuvadtivongs. It has three sections: a front veranda, a central ceremonial hall with the Phra Samphut Phanni Buddha image as the principal Buddha, and a nine-tiered white umbrella. The ubosot has wall paintings by the monk-artist Khrua In Khong, who lived during the reign of King Rama IV. These paintings are considered important examples of early modern Thai mural art. Behind the principal Buddha image is an arched niche containing murals depicting the Vessantara Jātaka. Prince Nuvadtivongs made medieval Siamese style sketches. The murals are based on these sketches and made by the Italian painter Carlo Rigoli during the reign of King Rama VI.

Administration

The current abbot is Phra Brahmavachiramonkol.