Sermon Halls in Rama III period, Case Studies: The Sermon halls of Wat Pra Cetupon, Wat Rajanadda, Wat Raja Orosaram, Wat Kalayanamit, Wat Theptidaram and Wat Chalermprakiat

Abstract

         A sermon hall is a multi purposes building for Buddhist activities. Most of them are wooden architecture with high pillars, mostly with perpendicular halls on both ends. There are, however, some of sermon halls which were built by brick and mortar like the ordination halls and viharas of the same period, for examples, the sermon halls of Wat Pra Chetupon, Wat Rajanadda, Wat Raja Orot, Wat Theptida, Wat Kalayanamit, and Wat Chalerm Prakiat, which were built between the reign of the King Rama II (AD 1809-1824) and Rama IV (1850-1868), and located in Bangkok and the vicinity areas. These brick-and-mortar sermon halls were, therefore, generally categorized as two types: the traditional Thai architecture, and the Chinese influenced ones. The traditional ones were, for examples, the sermon halls of Wat Pra Chetupon, and Wat Rajanadda, whereas the Chinese influenced ones were the sermon halls of Wat Raja Orot, Wat Theptida, Wat Kalayanamit, and Wat Chalerm Prakiat, Nondaburi. The last one, however, was a perfect mixture between the two styles because of its later date of completeness.