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There are thousands of temples, or wat, in Thailand. Some of
these vary in style and size but according to the principles of
Buddhist architecture, the structures within a temple should
include a bot, or ubosot, for religious ceremonies such as
ordinations; a wihan to house various Buddha images and for
laypersons to take part in religious
services; a Sala kanparien which is a large meeting hall which is
not only used for religious services but also sometimes as a
social or civic center; a mondop for storing the Buddhist
scriptures; chedi for housing sacred relics or images; a ho rakang,
or belfry, to sound the time for ceremonies, prayers, etc. and
kuti where the monks live. Some may also have a library, a
crematorium and a school.
Wat
A Wat is a Thai Buddhist temple or monastery. In most cases it is
not just one building, but a collection of buildings, shrines, and
monuments within a courtyard that is enclosed by a wall.
Bot
The Bot (also called Ubosot) is the ordination hall of a Wat. It
is the place where new monks take their vows. You can recognize a
building as a Bot by the six boundary stones (Bai Sema) that
define the limits of its sanctuary. Bots are usually open only to
the monks. The building faces east and usually houses an altar and
one or several Buddha images. The hornlike finial on the roof
ridge is called the chofa, representing the head of the garuda.
Chofah
Chofahs are the bird-like decorations on the end of the temple
roofs. If you visit the Museum of the Emerald Buddha near the
Grand Palace in Bangkok you can see examples of Chofahs displayed
in glass cases in the ground floor and have a closer look at them.
Chofahs are often decorated with little bells that tinkle in the
wind.
Chedi
A Chedi (a different term would be stupa or pagoda) is a domed
edifice, often quite tall, under which relics of the Buddha or
revered religious teachers are buried.
 Prang
A Prang is an Ayutthayan or Khmer-style Chedi that is high and
slim and looks like a vertical ear corn. Many of the Chedis in Wat
Phra Kaew or Wat Po in Bangkok are Prangs
 Mondop
A Mondop (also called Mandapa) is a baldachin structure that has
in some temples been erected above the library with the sacred
Buddhist scripts.
 Ho
Trai
The Ho Trai (also transcripted as "Ho Phra") is the library of the
Wat. It is usually a very small, highly decorated building. In the
Central Plains it often sits on columns in a pond . The holy
scripts and sacred manuscripts of the Wat are kept inside.
Viharn
A Viharn is a sermon hall. It is usually the busiest building in a
Wat and open to everyone (provided the visitor behaves according
to the temple etiquette!: you must be properly dressed, take off
your shoes before entering a building and behave quietly) Just
like the Bots, Viharns hold an altar and one or several Buddha
images
.
Sala
A Sala is an open-sided pavilion.
Some Viharns are built in this style.
Naga
A Naga is a representation of a mystical ser pent
that according to the holy scripts sheltered the Buddha while he
was meditating. In temple architecture, it runs down the edge of
the roof, or, especially in Lanna (North of Thailand) temples,
flanks the staircase that ascends to the Viharn or Bot. In
sculptures, it is depicted sheltering the head of the Buddha with
its own. Beautiful representations of Nagas are known from Khmer
art, as found in the Khmer ruins in the Northeast of Thailand.
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