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This article is about the Southeast Asian temple; for the Ethiopian dish, see Wat (food); for the Japanese pop duo, see WaT A wat is a temple in Cambodia, Laos or Thailand. The word "wat" (sometimes rendered "vat" when referring to Laos) means "school." Strictly speaking a wat is a Buddhist temple and school with resident monks. A Buddhist site without resident monks cannot correctly be described as a wat, although the term is frequently used more loosely, even for ruins of ancient temples. In everyday language in Thailand a wat is any place of worship except a mosque. Thus wat cheen is a Chinese temple (either Buddhist or Taoist), wat khaek is a Hindu temple, and wat kris or wat krit is a Chistian church. A typical Buddhist wat consists of the following buildings: The living quarters of the monks are separated from the sacred buildings. Some well-known wats include:
Images of well-known wats Image:Buddhistspraying.JPG|Prayers at Wat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai, Thailand Image:PICT2897.JPG|Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morokat (the Silver Pagoda), an important wat in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Image:Viangchan1.JPG|Wat That Luang, the national shrine in Viang Chan, Laos Image:PICT1651.JPG|The ruins of Wat Chedi Luan, Chiang Mai, Thailand | ||||||||
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