Wat Phlapphla Chai
Pom Prap, Thailand
Wat Phlapphla Chai (RTGS: Wat Phlapphla Chai, pronounced [wāt pʰláp.pʰlāː t͡ɕʰāj]) is a civil temple of Mahā Nikāya sect is believed to be built in Ayutthaya period during the reign of King Narai (1656–1682). Initially it was called Wat Khok as it was located on khok (lit. 'the mound'). Another belief holds that the temple's original name might have been Wat Khok, as the area was once the site of a royal command pavilion overseeing the royal rice fields in the Thonburi period. The term khok in this context means an enclosure or pen used for keeping cattle and buffaloes. The temple was renamed to "Wat Phlapphla Chai" in the reign of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) as he used it as a training ground for the Wild Tiger Corps, a royal paramilitary unit under his personal patronage. The new name, meaning "Pavilion of Victory", was chosen to commemorate a historical event believed to have taken place in the area. According to local tradition, this was along the route taken by King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), who at the time still held the title Chao Phraya Maha Kasatsuek, on his return from a military campaign in Cambodia. It is said that he set up a royal pavilion here and spent one night before entering the inner city. The site of the temple is believed to have once been an execution ground, a conclusion drawn from the numerous human
Monastery data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).