Emerald Buddha
Phra Kaeo Morakot | |
---|---|
Thai: พระแก้วมรกต | |
Artist | Unknown |
Year | 15th century |
Medium | Jade or jasper |
Dimensions | 66 cm × 48 cm (26 in × 19 in) |
Location | Wat Phra Kaew, Grand Palace, Bangkok |
13°45′04″N 100°29′33″E / 13.75111°N 100.49250°E |
The Emerald Buddha (
Origin myths
Sinhalese origin according to the Jinakalamali
The legend of the Emerald Buddha is related in number of sources such as
This figure of the Buddha is assuredly going to give to religion the most brilliant importance in five lands, that is in Lankadvipa (
).
Arrival in Cambodia according to Cambodian Royal Chronicles
According to
Burmese Chronicles
A version of the legend stated that in 457, King Anuruth(Anawrahta) of
History
Discovery in Lan Na
Historical sources indicate that the statue surfaced in northern Thailand in the Lan Na kingdom in 1434. One account of its discovery tells that lightning struck a chedi in Wat Pa Yia (Bamboo Forest Monastery, later renamed Wat Phra Kaew) in Chiang Rai, revealing a Buddha covered with stucco inside. The Buddha was then placed in the abbot's residence, who later noticed that stucco on the nose had flaked off, revealing a green interior. The abbot removed the stucco and found a Buddha figure carved from a green semi-precious stone, which became known as Phra Kaew Morakot or in English the Emerald Buddha. ("Emerald" refers to its "green colour" in Thai, not its composition.)[8][9] Some art historians describe the Emerald Buddha as belonging to the Chiang Saen Style of the 15th century CE, which would mean that it is of Lan Na origin.
The legend reports that King Sam Fang Kaen of Lan Na wanted it in his capital of Chiang Mai, but the elephant carrying it insisted on three separate occasions on going instead to Lampang. This was taken as a divine sign, and the Emerald Buddha stayed in Lampang in a specially-built temple (now Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao) for the next 32 years. In 1468, it was moved to Chiang Mai by King Tilokaraj, where it was kept in a niche in a large stupa called Chedi Luang.[10]
Presence in Laos in the 16th century
The Emerald Buddha remained in Chiang Mai until 1552, when it was taken to Luang Prabang, then the capital of the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang. Some years earlier, the crown prince of Lan Xang, Setthathirath, had been invited to occupy the vacant throne of Lan Na as his mother was the daughter of the king of Chiang Mai who had died without an heir.[10] However, Prince Setthathirath also became king of Lan Xang when his father, Photisarath, died. He returned home, taking the revered Buddha figure with him.[citation needed]
In 1564, King Setthathirath moved it to Vientiane, which he had made his new capital due to Burmese attacks and where the Buddha image was housed in Haw Phra Kaew.[11] The Buddha image would stay in Vientiane for the next 214 years.[10]
Settlement in Siam after the victory of General Chao Phraya Chakri in 1779
In 1779, the Siamese General
Temples of the Emerald Buddha: visual journey
-
The image first appeared in 1434 at Wat Phra Kaew, Chiang Rai
-
From 1434 to 1468 it was housed at Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao, Lampang
-
From 1468 to 1552 it was housed at Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai
-
From 1552 to 1564 it was taken to Luang Prabang and from 1564 to 1779 it was housed at Haw Phra Kaew, Vientiane
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Since 1785 it is housed at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok
Description
The Buddha image is made of a semi-precious green stone,[3] described variously as jade or jasper rather than emerald,[1][15] as "emerald" here refers to its colour rather than the stone.[16] The image has not been analyzed to determine its exact composition or origin.
The figure is 48 centimetres (19 in) wide at the lap, and 66 centimetres (26 in) high.[2] The Buddha is in a seated position, with the right leg resting on the left one, a style that suggest it might have been carved in the late Chiang Saen or Chiang Mai school, not much earlier than the fifteenth century CE. However, the Meditation attitude of the statue was not popular in Thailand but looks very much like some of the Buddha images of southern India and Sri Lanka, which led some to suggest an origin in India or Sri Lanka.[10]
Seasonal decoration
The Emerald Buddha is adorned with three sets of gold seasonal decorations: two were made by Rama I, one for the summer and one for the rainy season, and a third made by Rama III for the winter or cool season.[10] In 1996 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Bureau of the Royal Household commissioned a replica set of the seasonal decorations to be made in all the same materials. This new set was funded entirely by donations. The original set, which were made over 200 years ago, were retired and are on display at the Museum of the Emerald Buddha Temple in the Middle court of the Grand Palace.[17]
The decorations are changed by the
For the three seasons, there are three sets of decorations for the Emerald Buddha:[3][19]
- Hot/summer season from March to August – a stepped, pointed crown (makuṭa); a breast pendant; a sash; a necklace, a number of armlets, bracelets and other items of royal attire. All items are made of enameled gold and embedded with precious and semi-precious stones.
- Rainy season from August to November – a pointed headpiece of enameled gold studded with sapphires; a gold-embossed monk's robe draped over one shoulder (kasaya).
- Cool/winter season from November to March – a gold headpiece studded with diamonds; a jewel-fringed gold-mesh shawl draped over the rainy season attire.
The sets of gold clothing not in use at any given time are kept on display in the nearby Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations, and Thai Coins on the grounds of the Grand Palace, where the public may view them.
Ceremonies
Early in the Bangkok period, the Emerald Buddha was occasionally taken out and paraded through the streets to relieve the city and countryside of various calamities (such as
The Emerald Buddha also marks the changing of the seasons in Thailand, with the king presiding over seasonal ceremonies. In a ritual held at the temple three times a year, the decoration of the statue is changed at the start of each of the three seasons. The astrological dates for the ritual ceremonies, at the changing of the seasons, followed are in the first
Ceremonies are also performed at the Emerald Buddha temple at other occasions such as Chakri Day (6 April 1782), a national holiday to honour the founding of the Chakri dynasty. The king and queen, an entourage of the royal family, as well as the prime minister, officials of the Ministry of Defence and other government departments, offer prayers at the temple.[4]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-305-54494-9. Archivedfrom the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Chapel of the Emerald Buddha". Asia for Visitors – Your complete online travel resource for Southeast Asia. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-9747919615. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2020.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ a b c d e f g Roeder, Eric (1999). "The Origin and Significance of the Emerald Buddha" (PDF). Explorations in Southeast Asian Studies. 3. Honolulu: Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Hawai'i at Manoa: 1, 18. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ISBN 978-94-010-2242-2. Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-932476-09-5. Archivedfrom the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ Chantrabot, Ros (1998). ប្រវត្តិសាស្រ្តខ្មែរ [History of Cambodia, through Khmer legends and Khmer inscriptions] (PDF) (in Khmer). L'Harmattan. pp. 69–75.
- ^ Diskul (M.C.), Subhadradis (1982). History of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Bangkok: Bureau of the Royal Household. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-74220-385-0. Archivedfrom the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f M.C. Subhaddradis Diskul. "Wat Phra Kaew". www.cs.ait.ac.th. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ISBN 978-967-65-3057-8. Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ISBN 974-7936-18-6.
- ISBN 9747700344. Cited in "ประวัติพระพุทธมหามณีรัตนปฏิมากร (พระแก้วมรกต)"[History of the Emerald Buddha] (PDF). Dhammanusasana (in Thai). Chaplaincy Division, Directorate of Education and Training, RTAF. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Thailand, MYHORA com. "ปฏิทิน 100 ปี พ.ศ.2327-2328(2327) / ค.ศ.1784-1785" [100-year calendar, 1784-1785]. myhora.com. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica". Emerald Buddha (sculpture). Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Wat Phra Kaew – Bangkok, Thailand". www.sacred-destinations.com. Sacred Destinations. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-4875-0317-8. Archivedfrom the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
- ^ Barrow, Richard (19 November 2013). "Cool Season Robes for the Emerald Buddha". Thaibuddhist. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59880-969-5. Archivedfrom the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
External links
- Media related to Emerald Buddha at Wikimedia Commons
- Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha at emerald-buddha.com