Close
WLE Austria Logo (no text).svg Wiki Loves Earth photo contest: Upload photos of natural heritage sites in Thailand to help Wikipedia and win prizes!
Open main menu
Last edited 23 days ago by Narissara 2
Architecture of Thailand
EditWatch this page
This page has some issues
Traditional Thai houses, central Thailand
The main shrine at Phimai
The architecture of Thailand is a major part of the country's rich cultural legacy and reflects both the challenges of living in Thailand's sometimes extreme climate as well as, historically, the importance of architecture to the Thai people's sense of community and religious beliefs. Influenced by the architectural traditions of many of Thailand's neighbors, it has also developed significant regional variation within its vernacular and religious buildings.
Ancient Architecture
Traditional Thai houses
Religious buildings
Sala Thai
Gallery
Cultural use of Thai domestic spaceEdit
The sanctification of Thai domestic spaceEdit
Houses are one of the essential factors in people's lives. According to Nuttinee Karnchanaporn,[1] "The house always has been the first line of defence against dangers and threats". She argues that how Thai houses are built and how they are lived in can reveal a lot about "cultural fear". The Thai notion of fear centres on the "spiritual world" such as "ghosts, unseen forces, and evil spirits". Thai people heavily rely on "supernatural powers" for protection in the domestic setting.
Thai traditional houses are built in accordance with three ancient principles: "material preparation, construction, and dwelling" (Phraya Anumanrajathon, quoted in Karnchanaporn). Materials, including site and orientation, the taste and smell of soil, and the names of trees that will be used to build houses and so on, will be carefully chosen. Second, the construction must be done mindfully. For instance, only a person of acknowledged spiritual power is allowed to perform a ritual when the first column is put into the ground. The time allotted for that ritual needs to be precisely calculated and fixed. Similarly, construction of the guardian spirit house and proper conduct of the housewarming ceremony are also essential. The third principle is proper behaviour in the completed house. For example, the threshold is believed to be inhabited by "a household guardian spirit", therefore, stepping on it is prohibited. If residents of the house do not follow this precept, spiritual protection will disappear. Another example is that if someone sleeps under the girders, it is believed that ghosts will cause them difficulty in breathing. Taken together, all of these observances serve the purpose of making houses sacred places and pleasing "good" spirits in order to receive their protection against "bad" spirits.
In recent times, building houses following traditional rituals has diminished in popularity due to Western influences. Nevertheless, Thais still recognize the concept of making domestic places sacred. Karnchanaporn explained that in the past, house sanctification rituals were normally observed automatically, and the ways of performing them were passed to younger generations. House owners in those felt protected, given the complicated traditional practices. In contrast, modern people believe that "improper ritual can pollute spiritual protection" and thus, can lead to disaster. Some people try to change the rituals to fit their lifestyle. For instance, an owner does not use the guardian spirit house, but instead decides to use the threshold as an alternative offering place. Another owner does not perform any rituals at all, as she is afraid that performing the rituals improperly might cause problems. Instead, she just prays to the spirits to show her gratitude for their protection.
All in all, Karnchanaporn argues that domestic sanctification is "double-edged", and can be both a benefit and a snare. On the one hand, it assuages peoples' fears of unknown forces. On the other hand, it falsely encourages people not to take responsibility for bad consequences caused by their own actions in their houses.
References
Further reading
Read in another language
Wikipedia®® MobileDesktop
Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.
Terms of UsePrivacy
CloseWLE Austria Logo (no text).svg Wiki Loves Earth photo contest: Upload photos of natural heritage sites in Thailand to help Wikipedia and win prizes!Open main menu Last edited 23 days ago by Narissara 2Architecture of ThailandEditWatch this pageThis page has some issuesTraditional Thai houses, central ThailandThe main shrine at PhimaiThe architecture of Thailand is a major part of the country's rich cultural legacy and reflects both the challenges of living in Thailand's sometimes extreme climate as well as, historically, the importance of architecture to the Thai people's sense of community and religious beliefs. Influenced by the architectural traditions of many of Thailand's neighbors, it has also developed significant regional variation within its vernacular and religious buildings.Ancient ArchitectureTraditional Thai housesReligious buildingsSala ThaiGalleryCultural use of Thai domestic spaceEditThe sanctification of Thai domestic spaceEditHouses are one of the essential factors in people's lives. According to Nuttinee Karnchanaporn,[1] "The house always has been the first line of defence against dangers and threats". She argues that how Thai houses are built and how they are lived in can reveal a lot about "cultural fear". The Thai notion of fear centres on the "spiritual world" such as "ghosts, unseen forces, and evil spirits". Thai people heavily rely on "supernatural powers" for protection in the domestic setting.บ้านไทยโบราณถูกสร้างขึ้นตามหลักโบราณสาม: "เตรียมวัสดุ ก่อสร้าง และที่อยู่อาศัย" (พระยา Anumanrajathon เสนอราคาใน Karnchanaporn) วัสดุ รวมทั้งเว็บไซต์ และวางแนว รสชาติ และกลิ่นของดิน และชื่อของต้นไม้ที่จะใช้ในการสร้างบ้านใน จะถูกเลือกอย่างระมัดระวัง สอง การก่อสร้างต้องทำ mindfully เช่น เฉพาะบุคคลของพลังจิตวิญญาณดีได้ทำเป็นพิธีกรรมเมื่อคอลัมน์แรกจะใส่ลงในดิน เวลาจัดสรรสำหรับว่า พิธีกรรมต้องคำนวณอย่างแม่นยำ และคงที่ ในทำนองเดียวกัน ก่อสร้างผู้ปกครองศาลและความประพฤติเหมาะสมของพิธี housewarming ได้ยังจำเป็น หลักที่สามเป็นพฤติกรรมที่เหมาะสมในบ้านเสร็จสมบูรณ์ ตัวอย่าง ขีดจำกัดเชื่อว่าจะอาศัยอยู่ โดย "การด้ำ" ดังนั้น ก้าวนั้นถูกห้าม ถ้าชาวบ้านไม่ได้ทำตามนี้ precept ป้องกันทางจิตวิญญาณจะหายไป อีกตัวอย่างหนึ่งคือ ว่า ถ้าคนนอนใต้ girders หมาย เชื่อว่า ผีจะทำให้ความยากลำบากในการหายใจ Observances เหล่านี้ทั้งหมดปวง บริการวัตถุประสงค์ของการทำให้บ้านสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์และวิญญาณ "ดี" พอใจเพื่อที่จะได้รับการป้องกันวิญญาณ "เลว"In recent times, building houses following traditional rituals has diminished in popularity due to Western influences. Nevertheless, Thais still recognize the concept of making domestic places sacred. Karnchanaporn explained that in the past, house sanctification rituals were normally observed automatically, and the ways of performing them were passed to younger generations. House owners in those felt protected, given the complicated traditional practices. In contrast, modern people believe that "improper ritual can pollute spiritual protection" and thus, can lead to disaster. Some people try to change the rituals to fit their lifestyle. For instance, an owner does not use the guardian spirit house, but instead decides to use the threshold as an alternative offering place. Another owner does not perform any rituals at all, as she is afraid that performing the rituals improperly might cause problems. Instead, she just prays to the spirits to show her gratitude for their protection.All in all, Karnchanaporn argues that domestic sanctification is "double-edged", and can be both a benefit and a snare. On the one hand, it assuages peoples' fears of unknown forces. On the other hand, it falsely encourages people not to take responsibility for bad consequences caused by their own actions in their houses.ReferencesFurther readingRead in another languageWikipedia®® MobileDesktopContent is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted.Terms of UsePrivacy
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
