Hor Trai
Encyclopedia
A ho trai is the library
of a Thai Buddhist temple
.
A ho trai can come in different shapes and sizes.
For many centuries, the sacred Tripitaka
scriptures had been written on palm leaves. To preserve the scriptures against humidity and against termite
s, the library was often built on column
s to raise the storage from the ground. Bricks were preferably used in constructions to battle termites. Sometimes the Ho trai would be built, especially for this reason, above man-made ponds.
Traditionally, the Tripitaka scriptures consisted of individual palm leaves, each measuring around 50 cm in length and around 4 to 6 cm in width. They were perforated and threaded in order to combine them in stacks of 20 to 40 pages. These stacks are kept pressed between two pieces of teakwood which is then wrapped in cloth and stored in a special bookcase. These bookcases are sometimes exquisitely crafted with mother-of-pearl inlay or with gold leaf
applied on black lacquer. Beautiful examples of bookcases can be seen in the Bangkok National Museum. Modern Tripitaka are now printed as books.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
of a Thai Buddhist temple
Thai Temple Art and Architecture
This article on Thai temple art and architecture discusses Buddhist temples in Thailand. A typical Thai Wat, which is loosely translated as monastery or temple, has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world.-Wat architecture :The architecture of a Wat has seen many changes in...
.
A ho trai can come in different shapes and sizes.
For many centuries, the sacred Tripitaka
Tripiṭaka
' is a traditional term used by various Buddhist sects to describe their various canons of scriptures. As the name suggests, a traditionally contains three "baskets" of teachings: a , a and an .-The three categories:Tripitaka is the three main categories of texts that make up the...
scriptures had been written on palm leaves. To preserve the scriptures against humidity and against termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
s, the library was often built on column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s to raise the storage from the ground. Bricks were preferably used in constructions to battle termites. Sometimes the Ho trai would be built, especially for this reason, above man-made ponds.
Traditionally, the Tripitaka scriptures consisted of individual palm leaves, each measuring around 50 cm in length and around 4 to 6 cm in width. They were perforated and threaded in order to combine them in stacks of 20 to 40 pages. These stacks are kept pressed between two pieces of teakwood which is then wrapped in cloth and stored in a special bookcase. These bookcases are sometimes exquisitely crafted with mother-of-pearl inlay or with gold leaf
Gold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
applied on black lacquer. Beautiful examples of bookcases can be seen in the Bangkok National Museum. Modern Tripitaka are now printed as books.