Golden Buddha (statue)
The Golden Buddha, officially titled Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon (Template:Lang-th), is the world's largest solid gold statue. It is located in the temple of Wat Traimit, Bangkok (district of Samphanthawong, in Chinatown), Thailand.
History
Metal figures of the Buddha made in India, used to be taken to various countries for installation. The Golden Buddha statue was cast in parts in India and assembled at the site. At some point of time it was completely plastered to prevent it from being stolen.[1]
In the early 1930s, reconstruction works in the banks of the Chao Phraya river near Chinatown required the destruction of an old abandoned temple that housed a stucco-painted gold statue of Buddha. Despite the fact that the statue was not so attractive, its destruction was not an option. Thus it was decided to move it to Wat Traimit, a pagoda of minor relevance (like hundreds of other Buddhist temples that exist in Bangkok), keeping the statue in Chinatown. The temple didn't have a building big enough to house the statue, so it was kept for 20 years under a simple tin roof.
In 1955 a new building was built and the monks decided to install the statue inside it. A crane was supposed to move the statue carefully, but a cable broke and the statue fell in the mud, an event that was seen as a bad omen by the workers, who ran away from the place, leaving the statue on the soil. It was the rainy season and, as for confirming the bad omen, a terrible storm came and it lasted the whole night, flooding the whole city.[citation needed]
At the dawn of the next day, the abbot of the temple came to evaluate the damage and started removing the mud. He observed that the wet plaster was cracked and under it was a statue made of solid gold.
It is thought that the statue came from Ayutthaya and it was disguised under plaster to hide it from the Burmese, who were besieging the city. After being moved to Bangkok, its true composition was forgotten for almost 200 years.[2]
Characteristics
The statue is 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall and weights 5.5 tonnes (5.4 long tons; 6.1 short tons). It is made in the Sukhothai Dynasty style, and is thought to have been made during the Sukhothai period in the 13th century, though it could have been made after that time. The statue was housed in a wat in Ayutthaya until mid 19th century, and its provenance from Ayutthaya excludes the possibility of it having been made after about 1750.
The Buddha is represented in the traditional pose of Bhumisparshamudra (touching the earth with the right hand to witness Shakyamuni Buddha's enlightenment at Bodh Gaya). The original statues of Sukhothai sit on a common pedestal form. The flame that crowns the ushnisha is an innovation of Sukhothai that symbolises the splendour of spiritual energy. The line of the hairdressing forms a "V" shape in the root of the hairs, underlined by the elegant curve of the eyebrows that join above the aquiline nose, all according to the prescribed rules. The three wrinkles in the neck and the much elongated ear lobes, signs of his former status of prince, also form part of the code, as do the wide shoulders and the chest inflated with inspiration.
References
- ^ Buddhist Art Frontline Magazine, pg 71, May 13–26, 1989
- ^ Miller, Jeffrey (2005-06-02). "The Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit". The Korea Times. The Buddhist Channel. Archived from the original on 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
External links
- "Wat Traimit, Bangkok, Thailand". Asian Historical Architecture (www.orientalarchitecture.com). Archived from the original on 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
- fotopedia.com, Selected photos of the Golden Buddha Temple
