Wat Maheyong - |
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วัดมเหยงคณ์ |
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Description: |
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Linguistically speaking, Meheyong is derived from the Pali word
Mahiyahgana which means mountains or hills. The name reflects
the temple’s general topography: hilly monastic area. The most
prominent feature of the temple that can be seen from afar is
the red-brick walls of the ordination hall. Wat Maheyong was
appointed a royal monastery, but sadly it was abandoned due to
the collapse of Ayutthaya in 1767. Yet its remarkable origin
indicated the spiritual development of each individual involving
with the construction and restoration for several hundred of
years. In addition to the wall of the ordination hall, Wat
Maheyong has a lot more wonders. The current location of the
temple is Dhamma Chaksu Ground which was formerly called Khok
Bodhi. It was a rectangular-shaped mound or a heaped pile of
earth measuring 58 meters by 50 meters. It is believed that this
area might be the royal pavilion of Phrachao Tabeng-Shweti,
ruler of Hongsawadee. Wat Maheyong underwent a major restoration
in the reign of Somdet Phrachao Yuhua Thai Sa. In this occasion
the king also had small pagodas and other structures, judging
from several small heaped piles of earth and tile fragments.
There were 2 Ceylonese pagodas located east of the assembly
hall. Each pagoda stands on a square-shaped foundation with
sides of 10 meters. The octagonal base has a diameter of 8
meters to suit the size of the bell-shaped dome. The rings
entwining around the pagoda were 5 layers of wire, and the
cylinder was quadrilateral. However, the topmost structure left
was the spire because the minaret has broken. Inside the
ordination hall, there were 2 large pedestals of dilapidated
sandstone Buddha images. This ordination hall was surrounded by
2 rows of cloisters with indented corners, and each corner was
decorated by a small Ceylonese pagoda and a green leaf-like
boundary stone. At present, the Fine Arts Department has
declared Wat Maheyong as a national historical site. The temple
also provides spiritually related activities in which Buddhists
can participate, such as Nekkhamma Pavana on religious events,
the 9-day meditation workshop which takes place monthly, the
practice of 8 basic precepts on every observance day, Dhamma
teaching program for public and private sectors, as well as
bhikkhu(monk) and novice ordination. |
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Province |
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Ayutthaya |
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District |
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A. Mueang |
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City |
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Han Tra |
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Official Web: |
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Genre |
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Historic |
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Related links: |
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Best exposure |
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Morning |
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Opening time |
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n/a |
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Entry fee |
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Free |
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GPS : |
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14.36394 N |
100.59513 E |
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