French
DeutschWat Nawamintararachutis
| Wat Nawamintararachutis | |
|---|---|
วัดนวมินทรราชูทิศ | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Sect | Thai Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Location | 382 South Street, East Raynham MA |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Been Z. Wang |
| Founder | Phra Promwachirayan[1] |
| Funded by | Government of Thailand and private donations[1] |
| Groundbreaking | 2011 |
| Completed | 2014 |
| Construction cost | $60 million[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 700[2] |
| Site area | 110,000 square feet |
| Website | |
| [1] | |
Wat Nawamintararachutis (Thai: วัดนวมินทรราชูทิศ) is a working Thai Theravada Buddhist temple or "wat" in Raynham, Massachusetts, which is about 45 minutes south of Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It is one of only a handful of Thai Buddhist temples in the United States with actual Thai Buddhist monks in residence. Constructed on 35 acres (140,000 m2) previously occupied by a farm, it opened its doors to the public in June 2014. It is one of two Thai temples in Massachusetts; the other one is Wat Boston Buddha Vararam.
History[edit]
The ground breaking ceremony for the temple took place on 5–6 May 2011. Construction was scheduled to start late June – July 2011. The 110,000 square-foot temple was opened to the public in June 2014.[1]
Description[edit]
The temple was designed by architect Been Z. Wang and features limestone from Jerusalem, concrete panels from Canada, Italian roofing tiles from Italy, and statues and light ornaments from Thailand.[1] The temple can hold 700 people in the main worship space, and includes community rooms and lodging for monks and visitors, and a museum dedicated to King Bhumibol Adulyadej.[2] A 4,000 lb statue of Buddha was placed in the building after completion.[2]
The temple was named Wat Nawamin in honour of King Rama IX of Thailand, who was born on 5 December 1927 near Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (at the Mount Auburn Hospital). At the time, the king's father lived in Brookline, Massachusetts and was a medical student at Harvard Medical School.[citation needed]
The temple is considered to be the largest Thai Buddhist meditation center outside Thailand.[3]
See also[edit]
- Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, Redwood Valley, California
- San Fran Dhammaram Temple, San Francisco
- Vajiradhammapadip Temple, Centereach and Mount Vernon in New York
- Wat Boston Buddha Vararam, Bedford, Massachusetts
- Wat Buddhananachat of Austin, Del Valle, Texas
- Wat Buddhasamakeevanaram, Bossier City, Louisiana
- Wat Buddhanusorn, Fremont, California
- Wat Carolina Buddhajakra Vanaram, Bolivia, North Carolina
- Wat Florida Dhammaram, Kissimmee, Florida
- Wat Mettāvarānaṁ, Valley Center, California
- Wat Mongkolratanaram, Berkeley, California
- Wat Mongkolratanaram, Tampa, Florida
- Wat Pasantidhamma, Carrollton, Virginia
- Buddhism in the United States
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Sampson, Zachary T. (16 June 2014). "Thai Buddhist temple dazzles in Raynham". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ a b c "Wat Nawmintararachutis Meditation Center". Consigli. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ^ Monks in their midst In a stretch of suburban Raynham, a community of ascetics is planning what may be the largest Thai Buddhist temple in the hemisphere
External links[edit]
41°53′43.8″N 71°2′0.1″W / 41.895500°N 71.033361°W
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