Sealed In Solid Gold

[webfact]

EDITOR'S PICK

Sealed in solid gold

By Manote Tripathi

The Nation

Published on January 24, 2010

A newly renovated temple in Bangkok's Chinatown offers a wealth of information about the past

Welcome to Wat Traimit, a royal monastery of the secondary classification of the Voravihan type near Chinatown. Recently reopened after grand-scale renovations, Wat Traimit now boasts Phra Maha Mondop, the majestic shrine with the golden spire that's home to the world's biggest gold Buddha Image. Built to celebrate HM the King's 80th birthday, the four-storey shrine also houses the magnificent Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Centre, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, where you can learn all about the history of Bangkok's 200-year-old Chinatown.

Since opening last month, Wat Traimit has attracted a steady stream of visitors, all of them awed by the immense symmetrical structure, as well as the golden multi-tier roofs and spire that glitter in the sun. With all the attractions housed in the towering shrine, visitors spend much of their time climbing up and down the labyrinthine stairs.

Yet, strangely, no one knows when the temple was built though it's generally acknowledged that it was erected when the first wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in Bangkok some 200 years ago through the Ratchawong and Songwat piers.

Back then, only three of settlers became prominent tycoons. Firm Buddhists, they donated money for the construction of a temple, which was first known as Wat Sam Chine (the temple of three Chinese) and later renamed Traimit (three friends).

The temple grew alongside neighbouring Chinatown, which reached a peak in the fourth reign, especially in the Sampheng market area.

During the fifth reign in 1892, the king cut the new road known as Yaowarat and shops and restaurants quickly sprung up on both sides of the thoroughfare.

With its big Gold Buddha, Wat Traimit stood out among the other temples in the area and soon became the spiritual centre of the Chinese community.

Officially called Phra Buddha Maha Suwan Patimakorn, the 700-year-old gold Buddha image is the only one of its kind in Thailand and was recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1991 as the world's largest Buddha image made of the

precious metal with a value of more 21 million pounds at 1990 prices. It is believed that the image that now sits in the prayer hall atop the shrine was cast in the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great before 1283, the year he invented the Thai alphabet.

Its story, as well as its journey by carriage from Wat Phraya Krai to its present location, is recounted in depth in the Phra Buddha Maha Suwanpatimakorn exhibition currently running in the temple's third floor gallery.

For many visitors, the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Centre on the second floor is the real attraction. Using installations, multimedia presentations and modern museum techniques, the centre tells the story of Chinatown and its people through six display zones.

Zone A has the 3D theatre that relates the loyalty of the Thai-Chinese people towards the Thai monarchy through an old man telling his grandson of his pride at seeing both King Rama VIII and King Rama IX on their visits to Chinatown.

Zone B (The Rise of Chinese Communities) highlights the formation of Chinese community in Sampheng and the influx of the overseas Chinese to Siam during the reigns of King Rama I through King Rama III. A particular attraction is the replica of the interior of a Chinese junk loaded with silk, porcelain, foodstuffs and other goods shipped from southern China.

Visitors can also have fun admiring the figures of pigtailed Chinese coolies, noodle vendors, calligraphers and porcelain sellers juxtaposed in life-like scenes with their customers.

Zone C (Flourishing Days) explores the development of the Chinese community at Sampheng into the modern business area on Yaowarat Road. Visitors will appreciate the landscaped model of Yaowarat Road during its most flourishing period back in the late 1940s. Around the model are dioramas representing lives within edifices and shophouses that offer an insight into the lives of cultures of those living in Yaowarat during that era.

These dioramas include an opera house, a tailor-made postal service shop (as a way to contact family in mainland China), a confectionery shop, a gold shop and a Chinese newspaper office.

Zone D (The Legend of Glory) offers a video representation of several persons of note in Yaowarat and explains how their exemplary lives continue to provide their descendants with great inspiration.

Zone E (Royal Benevolence) is a photo and video gallery exhibiting the benevolence of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and members of his royal family towards Yaowarat residents.

Zone F (Modern China Town) offers a lowdown on today's Chinatown through video presentation and graphic maps.

After a whole day touring the temple, visitors emerge better informed not just about the history of Buddhism in the country but also about Chinatown and the close ties between Thailand and China. With its modern museum approach, Wat Traimit is truly changing the way we visit go the temple. It's no longing about prayer but also about learning.

-- The Nation 2010-01-24

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]