 For
any visitor wishing to get a quick feel for the Thai people
and culture, there's no better place to go than a temple.
The temple or monastery, colloquially known as 'wat' is where
much of Thailand's traditional culture originated. It's still
the best place to go to see typical Thai Buddhist traditions.
Temples
can be spotted everywhere in Thailand. They have a distinctive
architectural style, quite unlike residential buildings. Particularly
unique are the roof structures, decorated with hornlike projections
called 'cho fa' on the roof ridge and tooth-like ridges on
the sloping edges of the gables, which also glitter with gold.
The large compound of a wat is made up of several such buildings,
which serve particular purposes (see below).
The
temple is a sacred religious place important to the Thai Buddhist,
in a similar way that churches are important to Christians.
Every community needs to have at least one temple. Since ancient
times, the temple has played a significant role as a social,
educational and spiritual center for community members. Currently,
there are more than 30,000 Buddhist temples all over Thailand.
They are home to more than 300,000 monks.
Amidst
the vast changes taking place in modern society today, the
temple remains important as a spiritual center for Thai people
from all walks of life. Important religious ceremonies such
as funeral rites are still conducted at the temples. In addition,
on Buddhist holy days, temples are crowded with people making
merit and paying respect to the Buddha images.
 However,
the temple's role in education has gradually diminished since
the western-style educational system was introduced to Thailand.
But we can still see that some temples are attached to schools
bearing the same name as the temple. In more remote provinces,
where the modern educational system has not yet reached the
community, the temple still retains its role in education.
More
recently, the temple has adopted a new role in tourism. Thailand's
temples showcase much of the country's artistic and cultural
prowess. Whether you are interested in architecture, sculpture,
paintings, decorative arts or even crafts, you will be amazed
at the wealth of culture to be found in the temple.
The
most frequented and best-known temples that now play a vital
role in tourism include Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald
Buddha), Wat Phra Chutupon or Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Sutat
and Wat Benchamabophit, to name but a few. These temples showcase
the cream of Thailand's fine arts, and are masterpieces in
their own right. You won't find such masterful work in every
temple.
Visiting
a Buddhist Temple
Usually, there are two types of Thai Buddhist temple, defined
by function: those for religious ceremonies, and those that
serve only as residential quarters for monks (monasteries).
Temples
can also be categorized as royal or common temples. Royal
temples are registered under royal patronage. Members of other
social groups support common temples.
Royal
temples are further sub-divided into first, second and third
class, and are usually identified by the prefixes: Racha or
Vora. The temples in each class are further graded by yet
another ranking order based on a hierarchical system.
 Currently,
about 180-200 temples are under royal patronage. However,
for the highest grade of the first-class royal temples, there
are only six temples. Four in Bangkok include Wat Phra Chetupon,
Wat Mahathat, Wat Sutat, and Wat Arun. The two in the provinces
include Wat Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom province and
Wat Phra Phutthabat in Saraburi.
Whatever
the classification, most temples conform to a similar layout.
In general, the temple compound is divided into two segments:
the 'Phutthawat' area and the 'Sangkhawat' area.
Phuttawat
is the area where sacred Buddhist buildings are located. They
include the 'bot' (ordination hall), 'viharn' (assembly hall),
'chedi' (pagoda) or 'prang' and other buildings such as gallery
(cloister), 'sala karn parian' (a study hall), 'ho trai' (a
library used to house the Tripitaka) and belfry.
Sanghawat
area, on the other hand, is the living quarters of the monastic
community. Some temples restrict the entry of women in this
area.
As
a tourist, you are allowed to tour only around the 'Phutthawat'
area of the temple. Dress properly when visiting Buddhist
temples: wear long trousers or sarongs, and remove your shoes
when entering the temple buildings.
Things
to see in the temple
 Not
every temple is of similar structure and architecture, but
on a whole, they share many similarities. The ornate decoration
around the temple contains many symbolic Buddhist meanings.
To
make your temple visit more meaningful, it helps if you know
where to concentrate your attention. Many Thai art forms are
showcased in the temple. Architecture, sculpture, decorative
arts and mural paintings are the most important art forms
that will impress and amaze the visitor to Thailand.
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