by 7 keub (or 4.013 by 2.343 meters). This tiny footprint is intended to aid the monk's spiritual journey by discouraging the accumulation of material goods. Typically a monastery consists of a number of these buildings grouped together on a shared terrace, either in an inward facing cluster or alined in a row. Often these structures included a separate building, called a hor trai, used to store scriptures.
In the reign of King Rama I, southern Thailand was invaded by Burmese troops and Thalang was seized. the Burmese soldiers tried to dig out the image, wishing to take it back to their country. They were bitten by a swarm of tiny ants from the dug out earth. Hundreds of them fell sick and died while the reset set fire to the ants and continued digging as deep as the neck of the image. Fortunately, the ruler of Nakhon Si Thammarat led his army to successfully liberate the city. After that, a monk from Sukhothai came to stop at Thalang and persuaded the villagers to build a temple here to include a Kuti - the monks residence, Wihan - an image hall and Phra Ubosot - the ordination hall, with Phra Phut being the principal image. The Buddha's head was covered with a new image for religious performances.
The traditional Thai house is a fine example of a structure designed for its environment. Built from wood the house is traditionally raised on pillars to protect the occupants from wild animals, flooding and from criminals. The pillared are also provides shade during the hot tropical days and shelter for animals at night. Today many older Thai houses have the pillared area walled in to provide an extra room or two for the family. The different regions of Thailand have different styles of houses but the fundamental design remains the same. Sadly, many of these houses have been replaced by anonymous concrete shop-houses and suburban-style bungalows and the costs of building a traditional style house from new are too high most people. There are, though, still many fine examples of these old wooden houses throughout Thailand. Traditional Thai houses have been built with an elevated ground floor to avoid flooding. When the water rises, the elevated floor helps protect the living space from not only water but also the many creatures which come with the flooding.
When there is no flooding, the space beneath the elevated floor is used as a daytime living room, working room or even dining room for the whole family.
As Thailand has strong sun all year round, the space is protected from solar heat to provide comfort. At night, when it is cooler, people stay upstairs.
The architecture of Thailand is a major part of the country's rich cultural. Influenced by the architectural traditions of many of Thailand's neighbors, it has also developed significant regional variation within its vernacular and religious buildings.