Religious, Spiritual sights in Bangkok
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Baan Krua
Baan Krua literally means ‘Muslim Family Village’ and is one of Bangkok’s oldest communities. It dates to the turbulent years at the end of the 18th century, when Cham Muslims from Cambodia and Vietnam fought on the side of the new Thai king and were rewarded with this plot of land east of the new capital. The immigrants brought their silk-weaving traditions with them, and the community grew when the residents built Khlong Saen Saeb to better connect them to the Chao Phraya river.
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Wat Pho
Of all Bangkok’s temples, Wat Pho is arguably the one most worth visiting for both its remarkable Reclining Buddha image and its sprawling, stupa-studded grounds. The temple boasts a long list of credits: the oldest and largest wát in Bangkok; the longest Reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand; and the country’s first public education institution.
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Sri Mariamman Temple
Arrestingly flamboyant, Sri Mariamman is a Hindu temple that is a wild collision of colours, shapes and deities. Built in the 1860s by Tamil immigrants, the principal temple features a 6m facade of intertwined, full-colour Hindu deities. The main shrine of Sri Mariamman contains three supremes: Jao Mae Maha Umathewi (Uma Devi; also known as Shakti, Shiva’s consort) at the centre; her son Phra Khanthakuman (Khanthakumara or Subramaniam) on the right; and her elephant-headed son Phra Phikkhanesawora (Ganesha) on the left. Along the left interior wall sit rows of Shivas, Vishnus and other Hindu deities, as well as a few Buddhas. While most of the people working in the temple…
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Wat Arun
The missile-shaped temple that rises from the banks of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya is known as Temple of Dawn and named after the Indian god of dawn, Aruna. It was here that, in the wake of the destruction of Ayuthaya, King Taksin stumbled upon a small local shrine and interpreted the discovery as such an auspicious sign that this should be the site of the new capital of Siam. King Taksin built a palace beside the shrine, which is now part of Navy Headquarters, and a royal temple that housed the Emerald Buddha for 15 years before Taksin was assassinated and the capital moved across the royal river to Bangkok. Wat Arun is directly across from Wat Pho, on the Thonburi side of t…
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Wat Suthat
Wat Suthat’s truly remarkable Buddha image, acres of colourful murals and – during most of the year – relative tranquillity make it arguably the most appealing of all Bangkok’s Buddhist temples. The main attraction is Thailand’s biggest wí·hăhn (main chapel) and the imperious yet serene 8m-high Phra Si Sakayamuni that resides within. The image is Thailand’s largest surviving Sukhothai-period bronze, a serene-looking gilded masterpiece that was cast in the former capital in the 14th century. In 1808 it was retrieved from the ruins of Sukhothai and floated on a barge down Mae Nam Chao Phraya to be installed in this temple and serves as both the centre of Bangko…
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Wat Bowonniwet
Founded in 1826, Wat Bowonniwet (Wat Bowon) is the national headquarters for the Thammayut monastic sect, a reformed version of Thai Buddhism. Rama IV (King Mongkut; r 1851–68), who set out to be a scholar, not a king, founded the Thammayuts and began the royal tradition of ordination at this temple. In fact, Mongkut was the abbot of Wat Bowon for several years. Rama IX (King Bhumibol Adulyadej; r 1946–present) and Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, as well as several other males in the royal family, have been ordained as monks here. Bangkok’s second Buddhist university, Mahamakut University, is housed at Wat Bowon. Selected monks are sent from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to stu…
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Wat Phra Kaew
Also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew is the colloquial name of the vast, fairy-tale compound that includes the former residence of the Thai monarch, the Grand Palace. The Temple gleams and glitters with so much colour and glory that its earthly foundations seem barely able to resist the celestial pull.
The complex is also the spiritual core of Thai Buddhism and the monarchy, symbolically united in what is the country’s most holy image, the Emerald Buddha. Attached to the temple complex is the former royal residence, once a sealed city of intricate ritual and social stratification. A strict dress code is enforced: closed-toed shoes, long pants or s…
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Sri Gurusingh Sabha
Just off Th Chakraphet is Sri Gurusingh Sabha, a gold-domed Sikh temple best viewed from Soi ATM. Basically it’s a large hall, somewhat reminiscent of a mosque interior, devoted to the worship of the Guru Granth Sahib, the 17th-century Sikh holy book, which is itself considered the last of the religion’s 10 great gurus. Prasada (blessed food offered to Hindu or Sikh temple attendees) is distributed among devotees every morning around 9am, and if you arrive on a Sikh festival day you can partake in the langar (communal Sikh meal) served in the temple. If you do visit this shrine, be sure to climb to the top for panoramic views of Chinatown. Stores surrounding the templ…
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Sao Ching-Cha
It is easy to forget the powers of the Brahmans in Thai Buddhism, unless you happen upon the giant red poles of Sao Ching-Cha (the Giant Swing). During the second lunar month (usually in January), Brahman beliefs dictate that Shiva comes down to earth for a 10-day residence and should be welcomed by great ceremonies and, in the past, great degrees of daring. So each year the acrobatic and desperate braved the Great Swing. The ceremony saw these men swing in ever-higher arcs in an effort to reach a bag of gold suspended from a 15m bamboo pole. Whoever grabbed the gold could keep it. But that was no mean feat, and deaths were as common as successes.
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Wat Traimit (The Golden Buddha)
Wat Traimit, also known as the Temple of the Golden Buddha, is home to the world’s largest gold statue, a gleaming, 3m-tall, 5.5 tonne Buddha image with a mysterious past and a current value of more than US$40 million in gold alone. Sculpted in the graceful Sukhothai style (notice the hair curls and elongated earlobes), the image is thought to date from the late Sukhothai period. But if it is possible for a Buddha image to lead a double life, then this priceless piece has most certainly done so.
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Erawan Shrine
The Erawan Shrine is beside the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. Brahma, the four-headed Hindu god of creation, holds court here. Brahma would normally command great respect in Thai Buddhism but not nearly enough to warrant this sort of idolatry. The human traffic jam can be directly attributed to the perceived powers of the shrine since it was established in 1956.
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Assumption Cathedral
Marking the ascendancy of the French missionary influence in Bangkok during the reign of Rama II, this Romanesque church with its rich golden interior dates from 1910 and hosted a Mass by Pope John Paul II in 1984; his statue now stands outside the main door. The schools associated with the cathedral are considered some of the best in Thailand.
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Holy Rosary Church
The Holy Rosary Church is the city’s oldest place of Christian worship.
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