Introduction
All travel descriptions of Siam praise its palaces and temples, the sparkle of gilt decorations on towers and pagodas that stand tall, the multiplicity of edifices resplendent in vivid colors, the giant stone door guards with their threatening faces as well as the splendor of the roofs covered with glazed multi-colored tiles, daring roof spires covered with gold mosaics, and the variety and boldness of roof shapes. When King Chulalongkorn visited Europe some years ago, fairy-tale descriptions of the inconceivable splendor of Siamese architecture filled the newspapers. However, a correct impression of the country's architecture was impossible because most writers had not even seen the country and drew on various sources or on their own fantasy. Recent travel descriptions about Siam are likewise superficial. Even now Bangkok is called the Venice of the East here, although this term is no longer appropriate today. Bastian's excellent work on Siam provides a host of useful data, but these are scattered throughout a thick volume and do not provide an integrated and panoramic view, while that volume also lacks illustrations. The information of the Prussian Expedition to Siam in 1862, despite some errors in detail, is mainly trustworthy and supported by illustrations, but it was not the special purpose of that publication to discuss Siamese architecture (Photographs 1-2). The singularity of the national Siamese style shows itself in the great temple complexes and palace con-structions of Bangkok, the characteristic shapes of which catch every visitor's eye. Domestic archi-tecture is much less developed in comparison and, as in all other countries and historical periods, as a rule serves to create a background for splendid public buildings. The construction of palaces, which in Siam always stood beside temple architecture, came, as the construction of living quarters, under the influence of European architecture first. Here, where utility and convenience were an issue, West-ern culture, which stood higher and had produced significant developments in this field, was victori-ous. The main building of the handsome Grand Pal-ace in Bangkok, executed in Italian Renaissance style, contains few Siamese details and clearly shows that the European architect who designed them did not understand them at all (Photograph 3). But in the end, local building arts gained expres-sion because, upon the king's order, a Siamese roof was placed on a wholly European-style building, very much to the advantage of the whole complex.2 By coincidence, a delightful construction has re-sulted, in which two wholly distinct stylistic direc-tions have been unified. Later, however, palaces were built in European style, for example, the sum-mer residence Bang Pa In, the great palace in Dusit Park, and the palace in Phetchaburi, currently be-ing built under my direction. The old palaces of Ayutthaya, Lopburi, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, and so on have been destroyed. The old palace on Phetchaburi Mountain, built by King Mongkut, has a Siamese section but is otherwise constructed in European style (Photograph 4). The Siamese parts of the Grand Palace in Bangkok have interesting elements to see but are inaccessible to every male European and heavily guarded.
About The Book
Buddhist Temples of Thailand: An Architectonic Introduction is the first English translation of Karl Döhring's seminal three-volume photographic study Buddhistische Tempelanlagen in Siam, published in German in 1920. This in-depth architectonic and socio-cultural analysis of temple building complexes is accompanied by 180 pages of technically perfect photographs and 116 floor plans and refined line drawings. Karl Döhring, an architect who lived and worked in Siam during the reigns of King Chulalongkorn and King Vajiravudh, presented part of this work toward his doctoral degree. As a practicing architect of larger constructions, many of which were realized in Siam, Döhring was deeply interested in the technical aspects of Thai temples and in the use of decorative elements worked out to perfection to create both harmony and eye-catching contrasts. The book presents an architectonic analysis, discusses the historico-cultural and religious meanings of the various edifices composing a Thai temple complex, and details the specific decorations used to project the atmosphere of religious piety and rest so often impressively present in these places of worship. Sample floor plans, many of which have been long lost and photographs of many Bangkok temples as well as some famous upcountry complexes make this book a masterfully conceived guide for the layman who has more than a superficial interest in this fascinating topic.
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