Historic Murals and Ancient Temple - Wat Khongkharam - Ratchaburi Thailand 2023

Ratchaburi is probably one of the less visited provinces in Central Thailand. However, it can be easily accessed from Bangkok. The province is located to the West of Nakhon Pathom, so you can combine an outing to Ratchaburi with a visit of the Pathom Chedi and the National Museum in Nakhon Pathom.

Wat Khongkharam in Photharam district is an attractive large temple compound. The wooden construction of the monks' living quarters must be one of the best preserved in the whole of Thailand. The Ubosoth has a very interesting display of Thai mural temple paintings.

Paintings offen decorate the inside of the walls in Thai temples. Often the life of the Buddha is portrayed. Also scenes from the previous lifes of the Buddha (the Jatakas, mainly the last ten incarnations) are seen. On the lower parts of the walls, Jataka scenes are present, while the life of the Buddha is depicted higher up the walls.

Thai mural temple paintings are hightly stylistic. Also a lot of symbols are used. Basically the artists render certain scenes from the life of the Buddha and the Jatakas. While the details may differ, scenes are similar in different temples.

Wall paintings are certainly not everlasting. Due to the techniques employed (different from frescos) the walls are more easily damaged by the weather and deteriorate over time. Lower sections of wall paintings are most commonly affected, not just by human touch, but often by water seeping in from the ground below, making the paint peel off.

With the effects of nature on the murals it is not common to observe really old (like a few centuries) mural paintings. Often temples that are better maintained will have images consisting of older sections, with new additions (restorations) in between.

Unfortunately, often mural painting are not well preserved either. It seems to be common practice at temple compounds to abandon old buildings and its contents, and to build new Ubosoths and other temple buildings. As a result, the old buildings are often much neglected.

One of the things I really enjoy is to find these old murals. I have been to many temples just to see the art work from a bygone era. This temple was on my list to visit for the paintings and was worth the effort to find.

Enjoy the video!

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