Detail of Metal Mondop (Spire) at Loha Prasat at Wat Ratchanadda | Bangkok
Image details
Contributor:
Igor Prahin / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
CC8A91File size:
47.2 MB (1.7 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3432 x 4805 px | 29.1 x 40.7 cm | 11.4 x 16 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
3 December 2011Location:
Ratchadamnoen Klang Road, Bangkok, ThailandMore information:
Located on Mahachai Road, Wat Ratchanatdaram (temple) complex was built in the reign of King Rama III in 1846. Loha Prasat (“metal castle”), the temple’s main attraction, standing 36 metres high with 37 surrounding spires, is the only one of its kind left in the world. It was only recently completed. The Prasat has 37 spires representing 37 Dharma of the Bodhipakya. The staircase is at the centre with large pillars to support the shell-wise winding stairs around the pillars to the lower floor and to the top floor where the Mondop stands in the middle. This application of winding stairs to this Prasat is a European technique adopted by Thai architects. The significance of this Loha Prasat lies in the fact that it is the first of its kind in Thailand and the third in the world of Buddhism. The staircase is constructed as a free-standing metal center column with thick wood treads cantilevered off it. You can choose to climb all five stories at once or get off at any level to explore. The stairway actually ends on the roof of the fourth tower.