Wooden Temple of the Black Buddha Statue

Phra Rachpariyattithada (Somphot Yutitham),
the abbot, considered building a wooden temple in the Lanna-style to enshrine the Black Buddha statue at Hatyaisitaram temple (or called “Somdet temple”).

Back when the abbot journeyed to pay homage to the Black Buddha statue in Nalanda, India, he felt a strong faith and proclaimed that he would like to invite the Lord Buddha to visit Thailand and reside at the Hatyaisitaram temple. Thus, he would build a suitable wooden temple for the Buddha statue. As a result, this became the first wooden temple in Lanna-style that he had planned to construct.

The reason that the abbot chose to build the temple in the Lanna wooden style was that he was inspired by his travels to various countries such as Japan, China, and Korea, where he observed that the wooden halls in those places are elegant, beautiful, and durable, creating a pleasant atmosphere due to the natural wind breeze flowing through open halls. Such spaces should be an ideal place for prayers to meditate while also allowing a surrounding nature view.

Additionally, the abbot focused on selecting local woods that available in the region for a construction materials. This type of wood referred in the southern region of Thailand as “Mai Tum Sao," in the central region as “Mai Kan Klao," and in the northern region as “Mai Man Phla”. The reason is to reflect simplicity and a connection to the local culture.