Thai temples appear in an infinite number of shapes and sizes, so it might be quite surprising to learn they all have the same set of elements. Every temple must have a bot, surrounded by eight Sema boundary stones, and will often have one or more wiharn housing an important Buddha image.

Thai temples are places of prayer and worship. When visiting temples, you should adhere to the accepted etiquette for visitors. Thais are forgiving in nature, but if they are offended by a foreigner, one might find themself, in an uncomfortable situation.

Glossary of Temple Terms

WAT A temple, which may include not only congregation halls, but also a monastery, school rooms and sports grounds. Note that in Thai, the term wat may be applied to any religious center, so Christian churches and Muslim mosques may also be referred to as wats.

BOT or UBOSOT The ordination hall, where new monks are ordained and other important ceremonies take place. The ubosot is not necessarily the largest building in a temple compound, and may not always be open to the public. In fact, the ubosot is supposed to be off limits at all times to women, but this rule is seldom enforced. The ubosot will always have an alter with at least one Buddha image, making it hard to tell the difference between a Bot and a Wiharn. The easiest way to tell the difference is that only the ubosot will be surrounded by Sema stones. Bot can also refer to a Christian church building.

WILHARN or WILHARA Wihara -- which can also be spelled with a "V" instead of a "W" --house important buddha images and are where the laity come to pray. While there will always only be one ubosot in a wat, there can be several Wiharn.

BAI or SEMA Boundary markers, always made of stone. The ubosot is always surrounded by eight boundary stones, marking the sacred ground of the temple. The word bai means "leaf" in Thai. The stones are usually leaf-shaped.

CHOFAH Chofah are the decorations at the end of roof gables. In Bangkok and the central plains, they are generally shaped like an abstracted antelope head, although they can also be very bird-like.

CHEDI Sometimes translated as stupa or even pagoda. This generally bell-shaped tower will usually contain a relic of the Buddha, but may also be built to contain the ashes of a king or important monk. Those who can afford it may also build smaller, typically square-shaped, ones for their own final resting place. The bell-shaped chedi evolved during the golden age of Ayutthaya, so naturally one of the best examples is found in the aptly named Wat Yai Chai Mongkon

PRANG A more phallic-shaped tower that will be in the center of Ayutthaya and khmer-style temples. The prang is typically described as a "corn-cob" shape

SALA Generally, any open-sided pavilion. In a temple, these may be used for sermons. Some Wiharns are built in this style. The most notable one is at Wat Suan Dok in Chiang Mai.

HO TRAI and MONDOP Both of these terms could be translated as "library." A Ho Trai was often built on stilts over a pond to keep out the vermin. A Mondop is almost always square in shape, and may house scriptures or special images. Perhaps the most spectacular Mondop in Thailand is found over the Buddha's Footprint in Saraburi Province.

BELL or DRUM TOWER Some temples will also have a drum or bell tower to call the faithful. Drums were more common than bells.

KUTI A temple that also acts as a monastery will have monks' cells, called "kuti." These can come in all shapes and sizes.

NAGA The Naga is a mythical serpent that, according to legend, sheltered the Buddha while he was meditating. The "accepted" version of the story is that it was a cobra, and is often represented in Buddha images. In temple architecture, the Naga will often be used as a decorative motif for stair railings and roof edges. Nagas should not be confused with dragons, which are often featured in Chinese style architecture.