- This article is about the Southeast Asian temple; for the Ethiopian dish, see Cuisine of Ethiopia
A wat is a Cambodian, Lao or Thai Buddhist temple. The word "wat" (sometimes rendered "vat" when refering to Laos) means "school," and the training of monks is an essential feature of all wats. A Buddhist site without resident monks cannot correctly be described as a wat, although the term is frequently used more loosely.
A typical Buddhist wat consists of the following buildings:
- chedi - (from Sanskrit: Chaitya - Temple) usually conical or bell-shaped buildings, often containing relics of Buddha;
- viharn or wihaan (from Sanskrit: vihara) - a meeting and prayer room;
- mondhop (from Sanskrit: Mandapa) - the library;
- sala (from Portuguese for
"hall") - a pavilion for relaxation or miscellaneous activities; Could also be from Sanskrit: Shala - School) - bot or ubosot - the most holy prayer room, also called the "ordination hall" as it is where new monks take their vows. Architecturally it is similar to the viharn; the main differences are the eight cornerstones placed around the bot to ward off evil. The bot is usually more decorated than the viharn. (Could be from Sanskrit - Matha )
The living quarters of the monks are separated from the sacred buildings.
Some well-known wats include:
Wat วัดไทย