The Analysis of Themes on the Murals inside the Ordination Hall of Wat Phra Chetuphon

Abstract

The ordination hall of Wat Phra Chetuphon is one of the most important masterpieces from the reign of King Rama III. Inside the hall, the forty-one great disciples were portrayed on the walls between the windows while Mahosot Jataka was painted on the walls above the windows. Both themes and their painting techniques differ from Thai traditional paintings of the earlier period. Thus, the selection of these two themes is related to various concepts and beliefs, and reflects society of that time. The occurrence of these two themes emphasizes King Rama I’s habit of accumulating various types of knowledge and his own intention of naming this temple “Phra Chetuphon”. For example, Mahosot Jataka is the story in which the Buddha preached to his disciples in Chetavan Monastery or Chetuphon. Thus, it was likely that this Jataka was chosen owing to the name of this temple. Moreover, the story of Mahosot is related to disease treatment: this theme was in accordance with the status of Wat Phra Chetuphon as the center of medicinal knowledge. The story of forty-one great disciples was related to the Buddha’s disciples, each was an expert in one field. Thus, painting them on the walls between the windows was relevant to the intention of letting all monks observe and follow these role models.