Sunday 21 January 2024
Three temples on Tha Phae Road

Wat Mahawan

About 200 meters east of Tha Phae Gate on the south side of Tha Phae Road is Wat Mahawan, directly across Tha Phae Road from Wat Chetawan. Wat Mahawan is a little rustic and appears well-worn, and while some cleaning and/or restoration might be in order soon, the temple is quite appealing. There being many plants gives the temple a larger, garden feeling, while the grounds are actually small and the structures close together. Wat Mahawan is an ancient temple with Burmese influence, but principally Lanna in style. The date of the temple’s founding and original construction is unknown. Burmese teak traders funded some reconstruction in the mid-to-late 19th century, including constructing the Burmese-style chedi.

I typically approach Wat Mahawan from Tha Phae Road Soi 4 (a “soi” is smaller than a street, larger than an alley, perhaps a “lane” in English). Here is my first view of the temple:

Then I walk to the entrance, guarded by large Cinthe (Burmese) or Singha (Thai) creatures.

To the left of the entrance is a detailed arch guarded by Chinthe creatures. This is all symbolic of something I was not able to learn.

The spacious main viharn is distinctly Lanna styled with a three-layered roof with low sweeping sides and tall inside columns supporting the roof. It was constructed in 1865 and rebuilt in 1957, and the entrance is guarded by Chinthe creatures. The interior houses a single primary Buddha image seated in the Mara Vijaya (subduing Mara) posture. Certain elements of the viharn, such as its carved doors and elaborate stairway, are of fairly recent origin.

Looking at the south side of the viharn, one can see the Lanna-styled overlapping roof and a first glimpse of the chedi in the back.

To the left of the viharn is an arched entrance to a small area in the garden in which an ubosot (ordination hall) sits.

Just by the ubosot was a small pavilion in the garden in front of what appears to be monk’s quarters or an administrative building.

On the north side of the viharn I saw this Ganesh statue, the Hindu god of prosperity, wisdom, and beginnings. Ganesh is looked to by intellectuals, authors, scribes, and bankers. Ganesh is believed to be the remover of obstacles and is traditionally worshipped before any major change or undertaking.

At the western (back) side of the viharn is a large chedi. Large, for the small size of the temple grounds. The style is Burmese, with a square base with indented corners rising in layers diminishing in size to a large stucco bell. The neck is gilded with silver and gold.

Being close to Tha Phae Gate, this temple gets many, many visitors. There are a few places to sit and take in the peaceful atmosphere of this garden temple.

Next: ThaPhae Road Temples 3 – Wat Chetawan