Wat Chai Phrakiat

Wat Chai Phrakiat
วัดชัยพระเกียรติ
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhism
Sect	Maha Nikaya
District	Mueang Chiang Mai district
Province	Chiang Mai province
Location
Location	Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai district, Chiang Mai province, Thailand
Interactive map of Wat Chai Phrakiat

Wat Chai Phrakiat (Thai: วัดชัยพระเกียรติ), also known as Wat Chai Pha Kiat (Thai: วัดไชยผาเกียร), is a Buddhist temple in Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai district, Chiang Mai province, Thailand. It is located within the historic walled city of Chiang Mai and belongs to the Maha Nikaya order.

History

Wat Chai Phrakiat was formerly known as Wat Chai Pha Kiat. The Office of National Buddhism records the establishment of the temple in 1545 (Buddhist Era 2088) and the granting of its Wisungam Sima boundary in 1857 (Buddhist Era 2400).

The temple is mentioned in the Khlong Nirat Hariphunchai, a poem traditionally dated to 1517. The word Prakiat in the poem has been identified by some scholars with Wat Chai Phrakiat, although another interpretation takes it as a reference to a fortification. This identification is therefore not certain.

A bronze inscription at the temple is dated to 1517 (Buddhist Era 2060), during the reign of King Kaew of Lan Na. It is engraved on the base of a Buddha image and records its making by Chao Phan Cha Phuak Ruea on behalf of a Maha Devi.

Phra Phuttha Mueang Rai Chao

The temple houses a bronze Buddha image known as Phra Phuttha Mueang Rai Chao (Thai: พระพุทธเมืองรายเจ้า), also known as Phra Chao Ha Tue (Thai: พระเจ้าห้าตื้อ). The image is in the Maravijaya posture and is associated with an inscription dated to 1565 (Buddhist Era 2108).

The inscription records that Zayya Thayan Pyinya Sarpan (Chao Thap Chai Sang Ram Jaban), together with officials and local people, gathered damaged Buddha images and had them recast as a single image. It gives the name of the resulting image as Phra Phuttha Mueang Rai Chao. It also records the construction of a lacquered and gilded enclosure around the temple's great chedi and a dedication expressing wishes for rebirth in heaven, meeting Maitreya and attaining nirvana.

The inscription is written in both Burmese and Lanna scripts. Burmese writing appears on the front of the Buddha image's base, while other parts of the inscription are in Lanna script.

The image is traditionally called Phra Chao Ha Tue. Tue (Thai: ตื้อ) is a Northern Thai unit of weight; the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre describes it as equivalent to one thousand chang.

Inscriptions

Wat Chai Phrakiat preserves several inscriptions on the bases of bronze Buddha images. The 1517 inscription is one line long and records the person responsible for making the Buddha image.

The 1565 inscription records the casting of Phra Phuttha Mueang Rai Chao. According to the Burmese text, Burmese court minister Zayya Thayan Pyinya Sarpan, together with officials and local people, brought several damaged Buddha images and recast them as a single image. The inscription is written in three lines of Burmese script and eleven lines of Lanna Tham script. It also records the construction of a lacquered and gilded fence around the great chedi..

Another inscription dates to 1591 (Buddhist Era 2134). It is written in Lanna script and records the making of a bronze Buddha image by Chao Hua Muen Luang Dap Ruean Sai and his family, who lived in front of Wat Chai Pha Kiat. The inscription states that the image was made as an object of worship for humans and deities.

A fourth inscription is undated. It is engraved on the base of a bronze Buddha image in the Maravijaya posture. The inscription records that two people commissioned the image and expressed wishes to be reborn as Śāriputra and Maudgalyayana. The image was given to Wat Chai Phrakiat around 1957, although its earlier location is unknown.

Architecture

The vihara houses the bronze Buddha image known as Phra Phuttha Mueang Rai Chao, also called Phra Chao Ha Tue. The image is in the Maravijaya posture and is associated with an inscription dated to 1565 (Buddhist Era 2108).

The image has a pointed lotus-bud finial, tightly curled hair, a short pointed end to the robe flap, and a rounded face with a prominent chin. It is seated in the diamond posture on a lotus base. The Fine Arts Department describes the image as similar in style to the Phra Phuttha Sihing type known as Sing Nueng.

The walls of the vihara contain murals depicting stories from the Jataka tales.

The 1565 inscription records that Chao Thap Chai Sang Ram Jaban and others gathered damaged Buddha images and recast them as a single bronze image named Phra Phuttha Mueang Rai Chao. The inscription also records the construction of a lacquered and gilded enclosure around the temple's great chedi.