Wat Sirichannimitr

THAILAND, Lopburi

The temple is located on a hillside outside Lopburi, the capital city of Lopburi province. Its full name is Wat Sirichannimitr Woraviharn and its original name was Wat Khao Bo Ngam. Its construction date is unknown. It was found in ruins, with only the remains of a hall, large stupa, and head of a Buddha image. In 1911 a monk, Chan Sirichantho, built an outdoor seated Buddha statue overlooking the valley. Construction of the present temple was completed in 1923 and it then began to attract monks. It was given its current name by King Rama VI (reigned 1910–1925) in 1924. It was listed as a second class royal temple in 1956.
The temple faces east. Its main buildings include an ordination hall, Maitreya Hall, and lecture hall. The ordination hall is the central building and there are two flights of steps leading to its entrance. The balustrades of both sets of stairs are decorated with five-headed nagas painted in gold. There are two doors to the ordination hall, with a boundary stone between them. The ordination hall is rectangular in layout. Its outer walls are rendered in mortar, painted in red ocher, and have a rocky appearance. The pediment is decorated with a pair of nagas, with a crescent moon and star located above their heads, on a background inlaid with blue glass. Inside the ordination hall there is a seated Sakyamuni Buddha statue with the hands in bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra. Along the top of the four walls, between the columns, there are murals depicting the Life of the Buddha and illustrations of scenes from the sutras.
In the wood behind the ordination hall there is a 34 m high statue of a seated Buddha named Phra Ngam or Phra Buddha Patiphark Mathayom Buddhakan, which overlooks the temple. It is one of the most revered Buddha statues among the local people.