HISTORY
In 1846, King Nangklao (Rama III) ordered construction of the temple. There is conflicting information about the reason for the construction. Some online resources suggest it was to honour the king’s favourite grand-daughter and others say it was for his niece. The English language information on display at Loha Prasat says it was for his grand-daughter, but it could easily be a mistranslation. The king himself was said to have been involved in designing the plans for the temple which imitates two ancient Buddhist structures that previously existed in India and Sri Lanka. In the 1840s, Siamese craftsmen travelled to Sri Lanka to learn how the Loha Prasat there had been constructed.
For various reasons there were delays to the construction of the temple during the reign of King Rama III. In the decades that followed there were bouts of on and off work on Loha Prasat.
In the late 1940s, the construction of a movie theatre on Ratchadamnoen Avenue blocked the view of Loha Prasat. The cinema was demolished in the late 1980s and the area around the temple was made into an attractive landscaped plaza. A Royal Reception Pavilion was constructed together with a bronze statue of King Rama III.
A small shrine at the top of Loha Prasat contains a relic of the Buddha which was enshrined at a ceremony presided over by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) in 1995. In 2005, Loha Prasat was submitted to UNESCO for consideration as a World Heritage Site. The Fine Arts Department of Thailand carried out more work in 2007, but the scaffolding was up again in 2016 with changes made to the imposing black metal spires at the top of Loha Prasat. A shimmering golden-coloured covering has now been added to the spires.
ARCHITECTURE
Loha Prasat, which means iron castle or iron monastery, is composed of five towers, of which the outer, middle and the center towers contain large black iron spires. The 37 virtues that are required to reach enlightenment are signified by 37 golden spires. The 36-meter-high (118 ft) multi-tiered structure consists of 3 levels, the bottom one has 24 spires, the middle one 12 and the top level has 1 spire.
There were two other similar structures which previously existed in the world. Modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapua, Sri Lanka, both of which no longer exists. It contained 1,000 rooms with a golden spire on top. Another one, built in Sri Lanka, had nine floors and the roof was thatched with copper. Precious stones, wood and ivory decorated the walls. It was destroyed and remains of stone pillar from the past. Neither of these exist today.
The design of Loha Prasat almost appears Burmese, but in fact this is a copy of old Buddhist design found in Sri Lanka. In the early nineteenth century, it was begun construct by King Rama III.
A pyramid like structure created by the outer building is the widest, The next one smaller than the previous one. At the ground floor level of the tower you will find a labyrinth environment was supported by a great number of columns. Plenty of pictures are describing the history of structure in some of the corridors were installed in late 2007.
The Loha Prasat was modeled after the one in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is the only one of its kind that exists today. It was submitted to UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site in 2005.
Bot or Ubosot (Ordination hall)
The Bot or Phra Ubosot is the main prayer room and one of the most important structures of the wat. This is the building where monks get ordained. It is also used for other important temple rituals. The bot is a rectangular shaped building with the main entrance facing East. Across from the main entrance sits a glided sitting Buddha image on a richly decorated pedestal. Usually the walls are decorated with murals of the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana or of the Jataka, the stories that tell about the previous lives of the Buddha.
A bot is surrounded by eight boundary stones called sima or sema, that are placed outside the bot in a rectangular shape. A bot and a viharn will usually have similar characteristics, but a viharn does not have the sima stone markers.
Viharn (Assembly hall)
A viharn or wiharn will often look like the ubosot, except that it is not surrounded by sema stones. In the viharn several Buddhist ceremonies take place with both monks and lay people. Inside the viharn Buddha images are kept. People from outside the Wat come to the viharn to prey. There can be more than one viharn in a Wat. Some viharns are surrounded by a gallery containing a great number of Buddha images. In the early days of Buddhism viharns were build to provide shelter for travelling monks during the rainy season.
Chedi
The chedi, also called stupa or sometimes pagoda is the most important and sacred structure of the wat. Originally, a chedi contained relics of the Buddha, later on they were also used to enshrine the remains of Kings or a very important monk. Chedis are found in various shapes and variations, though typically they have a conical shape. The most used chedi style in Thailand is the bell shaped form. The shape of the chedi is likely derived from an ancient burial mound.
CURRENT SITUATION
Loha Prasat Temple and the viewing platform is open daily from 9am-5pm. There are large white temples of Wat Ratchanaddaram surrounding Loha Prasat itself, as well as the golden seated Buddha and beautiful murals and door carvings. At the back of Loha Prasat, a popular amulet and Buddha statues market is well worth a visit.
