Wat Singh, Kamphaeng Phet

#Where to travel in this summer Wat Singh has a laterite wall around all 4 sides. The entrance is on the east side and the west side on the west side. Inside the temple, it is clearly divided into the Buddhavasa area and the Sanghavasa area, similar to other temples in the Aranyik area. The buildings in the Buddhavasa area are not aligned with the east-west axis, but are slightly slanted towards the southeast. From the excavation of Wat Singh by the Fine Arts Department in 1982, evidence was found showing the renovation and repair of the building and the change in the function of the building. The large building at the front is located on the southern base. The current condition is the ordination hall with a sema base located on the southern base all around. But inside the hall of the building, there is a line of monks' seats on the southern wall. Therefore, it is known that this building was originally a vihara built as the main axis of the temple, following the Sukhothai era. Later, in the later or Ayutthaya era, when large churches were popular, the function of the building was changed from a vihara to an ordination hall by installing sema stones all around. The discovered sema stones were carved from slate. Some leaves are decorated with floral patterns in a triangular frame, and the edges of the sema are carved in rows of pointed scrollwork, which is an Ayutthaya art pattern. The patterns on the sema leaves are therefore important evidence showing that the decoration of the sema leaves to change the function of the building from a temple to an ordination hall was during the Ayutthaya period. The ordination hall or temple is located on a large southern base, similar to the temple of Wat Phra Si Iriyabot. The stairs to the southern base at the front are different from others, namely the stairs are drilled into the base, not protruding from the base. The platform in front on the southern base is a raised platform, rising from the ground level, decorated with stucco lions, door guardians, and nagas, with a laterite core. The original ordination hall or temple on the circumambulation area is a rectangular building with a lotus-shaped base and octagonal columns supporting the upper part. In the building, there are lines of monks' seats and the base of the altar or the pedestal for the principal Buddha image. The principal stupa is made of laterite and brick. Currently, only the front base remains. Three-tiered square boards, the top of which is collapsed, with niches extending from the lower base on all four sides. Inside the niches, there are traces of the installation of a stucco Buddha statue with a laterite core. From the excavation, it was found that it should be a bell-shaped square base, similar to the pagoda of Wat Kamphaeng Ngam, which is a bell-shaped pagoda with a base. The antiques found from the excavation include a bronze Buddha head, fragments of both glazed and unglazed pottery, Ming Dynasty porcelain cups and plates, nails for wooden objects, slate sema stones, and antiques of both Sukhothai and Ayutthaya styles mixed together. Wat Singh is therefore one of the most important and grandest temples in the Aranyik area of ​​Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park… #KamphaengPhet Historical Park