page_title: Wat Phra Kaew
section_title: Phaithi terrace
hierarchical_section_title: Wat Phra Kaew / Phaithi terrace
caption_attribution_description: ไทย: พระศรีรัตนเจดีย์ พระมณฑป และปราสาทพระเทพบิดร This is a photo of a monument in Thailand identified by the ID 0005574 (Thai Fine Art Department's link)
context_page_description: Wat Phra Kaew, commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings within the precincts of the Grand Palace in the historical centre of Bangkok. It houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha, which is venerated as the country's palladium.
  Construction of the temple began in 1783 under the orders of Rama I, the first king of the Chakri dynasty. Since then, each successive king has been personally involved in adding, restoring and embellishing the temple during their reigns as a way of making religious merit and glorifying the dynasty. Many important state and royal ceremonies are held within the temple each year, presided by the king in person and attended by government officials. This makes the temple the nation's preeminent place of worship and a national shrine for the monarchy and the state. Throughout the years, each king has donated sacred and valuable objects inside the temple, making it a treasury as well.
context_section_description: The Than Phaithi (ฐานไพที) is a raised terrace or base that elevates several important structures inside the temple, the three principal ones being Prasat Phra Thep Bidon, the Phra Mondop and the Phra Si Rattana Chedi. The terrace has six sets of steps leading up to it: two on the north, one on the east, two on the south and one on the west. Originally, the terrace contained only the Phra Mondop; in 1855, Rama IV ordered the expansion of the base, upon which the two other structures were later built. The arrangement of these structures in a straight line echoes the classical arrangement of temples in both Sukhothai and Ayutthaya.
caption: The Phaithi terrace with principal buildings from right to left; Prasat Phra Thep Bidon, Phra Mondop and the Phra Si Rattana Chedi.
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