That Phon Chik Wiang Nua

Terrain

General Condition

Wat Khok Pa Fang is a temple that is still in use today. It is located on a central mound of plains along the banks of the Mekong River formed by the deposition of sediments. Currently, the area surrounding the temple is a farming area. The mound where the temple is located is about 4-5 meters high from the surrounding area. It is about 900 meters from the Mekong River to the south and about 600 meters from Huai Phang Phon to the south. The important place is Nong Sang Nok Saeo, a large swamp. It is about 500 meters west of the temple and on the northeast side is Nong Kuak. It is about 1 kilometer away.

The area inside the temple is peaceful and shady. There are perennial plants everywhere.

Height above mean sea level

Waterway

Mekong River

Geological conditions

Mekong River sediment deposition during the Holocene period

Archaeological Era

era/culture

Archaeological age

Mythological age

Types of archaeological sites

archaeological essence

Wat Khok Pa Fang is a royal temple. Affiliated with Maha Nikaya According to the history of the temple, it was built on January 1, 1797. The important thing is the Phra That Chedi containing the Fang's relics. Called Phra That Phonchik and because nearby there is a cowshed The villagers are called Phra That Phon Chik Wiang Ngu Uchuprarat Later, the villagers found that Phra That Bu emerged from the ground, so it was called Wat Phra That Bu.

There is a local legend about the enshrining of the relics that date back to AD 8 and it is believed that the builders of the relics were Bodhisalraj King of Lan Xang Father of Somdej Phra Chai Chetthathirat in 2063-2093 B.E.

according to legend (The legend of Phra That Phanom) has a message saying that Phra That Phon Chik is a Buddha Tooth Relic. or dental relics In the reign of King Chanburi had ordered ten thousand Kanghong to become the governor of Wiang Kuk. There is an arahant who is a disciple of Phra Maha Kassapa into this region and has spread religion widely. later brought relics from the city of Rajagaha Contains

29 Buddha relics of Hua Nao, enshrined at Luang Mountain (Phra That Bang Phuan)

Buddha Tooth Relic (Phra Dental Relics) 7 Buddha images enshrined in Wiang Nua, 3 Buddha images and 4 raft houses.

9 royal relics enshrined in La Nong.

Wiang Nua appeared in the legend of Phra Orangkathat as Phra Rattana Thera and Chulalongkorn Thera brought 3 fang relics to be enshrined at Phon Chik Wiang Nhua. Which is believed to be in the area of ​​Ban Khok Pa Fang, Pakho Subdistrict, Mueang Nong Khai District, Nong Khai Province (the words "Nua" and "Ko" both have the same meaning). Mekong River Basin in Nong Khai including Phu Phra Bat in Udon Thani Province Even the plot from the story of U-Sa-Baros, there is that Thao Barat's city is in Pakho, Wiang Kuk and may be related to the story of Phra Unarudha. who is the grandson of Lord Krishna (Pang one of Phra Narai), whose accent in Isan legend is Phra Kud Narai

Most scholars assume that the Wiang Nua area is an old city from the Chenlabok period or in the Khmer period. Because there are many ancient ruins and artifacts in the Pakho and Kulen periods in the city, including temples, stone carvings and stone sculptures. including ancient remains in Wat Khok Pa Fang (Wat Phra That Phon Chik Wiang Ngua), but the current ancient site has been destroyed and the area has been modified until the original structure remains. Some temples have plastered over the idol to make a Buddha image. and believe that some of the influence of Khmer art has been sent to Phra That Phon Chik Wiang Nhua.

Important archaeological evidence within the temple are:

Phra That Phon Chik Wiang Nua It is a chedi made of clay bricks and rubber wood. The circular plan is a tall bell-shaped chedi. It is located on the royal courtyard with a square plan, 17.5 meters wide on each side. Inside the palace base is filled with soil and should have plastered the edge of the palace base with plaster. In addition, the four corners found the remains of a rectangular brick base. It is assumed that it is a replica of the 4 corner relics. The chedi's appearance consists of a chopping board base cascading down to support the base of a chicken breast lotus flower in a round plan. then a tall conical bell Continuing with the top is a lotus flower tier in a circular plan with 4 floors (similar to how it is) while the top is a high pointed banana leaf. The top is decorated with stucco with Naga designs and stained glass. It was assumed that the top was renovated. There are clearly folk art characteristics (Prapat Chuwichian 2012)

The remaining complete small chedi used to be located on a small rectangular brick base that lined the chopping boards of the relics on all 4 sides, totaling probably 30 amulets. tall conical bell Continue with a rectangular throne with stucco designs with lotus petals. conical top

The bell-shaped chedi is rarely found in Lan Xang art. It is assumed that it was built around the 22nd Buddhist century (Prapat Chuwichian 2012).

Ubosot It is the remains of a small brick building. Located on the east side of Phra That Phon Chik The plan is almost square in shape, about 5.3 x 5.7 meters in size, with a chopping board base that is raised to a height, the wall collapses, and under the floor of the building, the floor is filled with rubble and soil mixed with compacted lang pellets. Inside the building, there is a Chukchi base at the end of the building. (There is a modern metal Buddha image enshrined) and laterite sticks are embroidered around the building. Therefore, it is assumed that this building is probably the Ubosot or Sim (Praphat Chuwichian 2012).

Phra That Bu (Bu means to emerge from the ground) located in the northwest of Phra That Phon Chik Wiang Ngua. It is a small circular chedi. It is a round base with 4 layers of plaster stacked on top of each other. The top is laterite shaped like a lotus bud. At the end is a round glass ball plastered with plaster. Currently, a pavilion is being built to cover it. The pavilion floor around the relics is covered with tiles. The relics are covered with a cloth (Prapat Chuwichian 2012)

The ground outside the Phra That Bu Pavilion There are parapets made of laterite embroidered around. On the ground surrounding the pavilion, there were quite a lot of fragments of bricks, laterite, stucco, and fragments of earthenware. (Some bricks are probably parts of an old pagoda. due to its round shape)