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Thailand: King Rama IX, Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 1927 – 13 October 2016), 9th monarch of the Chakri Dynasty, entering the monkhood for 15 days, October 1956.<br/><br/> Bhumibol Adulyadej (Phumiphon Adunyadet) was the 9th King of Thailand. He was known as Rama IX, and within the Thai royal family and to close associates simply as Lek. Having reigned since 9 June 1946, he was one of the world's longest-serving heads of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history.
Nakhon Phanom, once the center of the ancient Sri Kotrabun Kingdom, lies adjacent to the Mekong River, 735 kms northeast of Bangkok. The area was long settled by ethnic Lao people and belonged to the Lan Xang Kingdom even after it came under the control of Ayutthaya. At first it was known as 'Si Kotrabun', and during the times of King Rama I as 'Maruka Nakhon'.
Wat Phra That Lampang Luang (วัดพระธาตุลำปางหลวง), the ‘Temple of the Great Buddha Relic of Lampang’, dates back to the 15th century and is a wooden Lanna-style temple found in the Ko Kha district of Lampang Province. It stands atop an artificial mound, and is surrounded by a high and massive brick wall. The temple itself doubles as a wiang (fortified settlement), and was built as a fortified temple.
Wat Phra That Lampang Luang (วัดพระธาตุลำปางหลวง), the ‘Temple of the Great Buddha Relic of Lampang’, dates back to the 15th century and is a wooden Lanna-style temple found in the Ko Kha district of Lampang Province. It stands atop an artificial mound, and is surrounded by a high and massive brick wall. The temple itself doubles as a wiang (fortified settlement), and was built as a fortified temple.
Abandoned in the late 13th century CE, and now in ruins, Wiang Kum Kam was once the capital of Thailand’s northern region, and is located just south of Chiang Mai.<br/><br/> It was built by King Mangrai at some time in the 13th century after his victory over the Hariphunchai kingdom of modern-day Lamphun. However, after the city had flooded several times, Mangrai decided to relocate the capital of his kingdom, and moved it farther north on the River Ping to a site that is now the city of Chiang Mai.<br/><br/> Wiang Kum Kam was abandoned in 1290 CE, although some records suggest a community called Chang Kham lived there before or after the Burmese seizure of Chiang Mai in 1558.
Wat Lok Moli or ‘topknot of the world’ is thought to have been founded by King Ku Na, the 6th king of the Mangrai Dynasty (1263–1578), who ruled the Lan Na Kingdom from Chiang Mai between about 1367 and 1388. It was probably a royal temple, since the northern side of the city was a royal precinct at the time; certainly the sanctuary enjoyed a long and close association with the Mangrai rulers. According to a notice at the south entrance of the temple, King Ku Na invited a group of ten monks from Burma to come and live in Chiang Mai, providing Lok Moli as a residence for them.<br/><br/> The huge chedi that distinguishes Lok Moli was built in 1527, perhaps after the orders of the 11th Mangrai monarch, King Muang Kaeo (1495–1526), but apparently during the first year of the first reign of his younger brother, King Ket Chettharat (1526–1538).
Luk nimit are stone spheres used for burying at the four corners and the four cardinal points of a new ubosot, a ninth is buried below the main Buddha statue.<br/><br/> Wat Phrathat Doi Kham or ‘Temple of the Golden Mount’, is located in Tambon Mae Hia, about 10km south of Chiang Mai Old City, in the lee of Doi Suthep. Temple records claim that the temple dates back over 1,300 years ‘to 687 AD’, during the pre-Lan Na period when the region was inhabited by the indigenous animist Lawa.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai (meaning "new city"), sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom.
Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, generally shortened to Wat Mahathat, or ‘Temple of the Great Chedi’ is the most revered and important temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat and indeed in southern Thailand. It is considered to have been built at the time of the founding of the town, and is said to contain a tooth relic of the Lord Buddha.<br/><br/> Southern Thai lore records that the founders of the temple were Prince Thanakuman and his Queen Hemchala, who brought Buddha relics to Hat Sai Kaeo and built a small pagoda to mark the location. Subsequently, in the 13th century, King Si Thamma Sokharat founded the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat and built a new temple around the great chedi.
Wat Mahathat is a late Ayuthaya period Buddhist temple.
Wat Chedi Luang translates literally from the Thai as ‘Monastery of the Great Stupa’. Construction of the temple began at the end of the 14th century when the Lan Na Kingdom was in its prime. King Saen Muang Ma (1385-1401) intended it as the site of a great reliquary to enshrine the ashes of his father, King Ku Na (1355-85). Today it is the the site of the Lak Muang or City Pillar. The annual Inthakin ceremony occurs within the confines of the temple.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai (meaning "new city"), sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom.
Wat Ratchapradit (Rajapradit) was constructed in the mid-19th century during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV). Many of the murals in the main viharn portray Thai ceremonies and festivals that take place during the year and were painted in the late-19th century.
Wat Ratchabophit (Rajabophit) was constructed during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868 - 1910). The temple blends Eastern and Western architectural styles and is noted for its circular cloister enclosing the large Sri Lankan-style chedi and connecting the ubosot (bot) to the north with the viharn to the south.
Wat Ratchabophit (Rajabophit) was constructed during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868 - 1910). The temple blends Eastern and Western architectural styles and is noted for its circular cloister enclosing the large Sri Lankan-style chedi and connecting the ubosot (bot) to the north with the viharn to the south.
Wat Suthat Thepphawararam is a royal temple of the first grade, one of six such temples in Thailand. Construction was begun by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) in 1807. Further construction and decorations were carried out by King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (Rama II) who helped carve the wooden doors, but the temple was not completed until the reign of King Jessadabodindra (Rama III) in 1847. The temple is a fine example of the Rattanakosin architectural style. It also contains the Buddha image Phra Sri Sakyamuni or "Sisakayamunee" which was moved from Sukhothai province.
Wat Suthat Thepphawararam is a royal temple of the first grade, one of six such temples in Thailand. Construction was begun by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) in 1807. Further construction and decorations were carried out by King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (Rama II) who helped carve the wooden doors, but the temple was not completed until the reign of King Jessadabodindra (Rama III) in 1847. The temple is a fine example of the Rattanakosin architectural style. It also contains the Buddha image Phra Sri Sakyamuni or "Sisakayamunee" which was moved from Sukhothai province.
Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan (usually Wat Saket) dates back to the Ayutthaya era, when it was called Wat Sakae. King Rama I (1736 - 1809) or Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke renovated the temple and renamed it Wat Saket. The Golden Mount (Phu Khao Thong) is a steep hill inside the Wat Saket compound. It is not a natural outcrop, but an artificial hill built during the reign of Rama III (1787 - 1851) or King Jessadabodindra.
Wat Arun Rajwararam (Temple of the Dawn), full name Wat Arunratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan, is a Thai Buddhist temple on the Thonburi west bank side of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. It is named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn. A monastery has stood here since the Ayutthayan period (1351 - 1767), but the temple's outstanding feature, the Khmer-style central prang, was not begun until 1809, during the reign of King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (Rama II).
Wat Pa Pao is a Shan (Tai Yai) Buddhist temple that serves as a centre for Chiang Mai's Shan community. It was built in the late 19th century.<br/><br/> Once a year, Wat Pa Pao plays host to the luk kaeo, or 'crystal sons' – young Shan boys about to be ordained into the Buddhist monkhood. Many of these novices travel to Chiang Mai from surrounding Shan communities at Mae Cham, Mae Rim, Chiang Dao and Fang. This annual Shan ceremony is called Poy Sang Long.
Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year and is celebrated from 13th to 15th April. This annual water festival, known in Thai as 'songkran,' and in Burmese as 'thingyan' marks the beginning of the rainy season and is celebrated in Burma, Laos, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, usually in April.<br/><br/> Chiang Mai (meaning "new city"), sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom.