Pagoda seeks World Heritage status

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT Thailand hopes Phra Mahathat Woramahawiharn Temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat province will gain UNESCO World Heritage listing possibly by 2017.

The Ministry of Culture preparing documents to complete the process that will ultimately place the Buddhist temple on a list for UNESCO World Heritage consideration.

Currently, the ministry is compiling English language documents and if they are completed in time the process will move to the next stage, which includes officially adding the temple to a list for consideration at the next UNESCO annual general meeting.

Recognition would help to improve tourism to the southern province, which is one of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s hidden gem destinations.

The temple is considered one of the most important in South Thailand, attracting Chinese and Malaysian tourists. Some foreigners take their children to be ordained at the temple during the annual school break.

According to the Nakhon Si Thammarat’s chronicle, the main stupa of the temple, called Phra Borommathat Chedi, literally, the Great Noble Relics Stupa, was built during the early 13th century CE.

The focal point of this temple is the famous Sri Lankan style pagoda. It is the symbol of the province and features on the nation’s 25 satang coin.

The spire is covered in gold leaf, which deflects sunlight in a wide arc that diminishes the structure’s shadow. Devotees sometimes call the pagoda the “Shadowless Pagoda”.

Thailand has five world heritage sites–three in the cultural category and two in nature categories. They are:

Culture:

Sukhothai and associated historical towns (1991); Ayutthaya (1991); and Ban Chiang Archaeological site (1992);

Nature:

Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuaries (1991); and Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai forest complex (2005).