Wat Ratchapradit

WAT RATCHAPRADIT SATHITMAHASIMARAM RATCHAWORAWIHAN

The site of this temple was originally a coffee plantation. King Rama IV believed that traditional Royal ceremonies in the city required three temples, Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratchapradit. As Bangkok had neither a Wat Ratchapradit nor a Thammayut Nikai temple near the Grand Palace, the king bought the land to give to the Thammayut sect to build the temple. S

Inscriptions of King Rama IV: There are two on stone slabs behind the wihan. The first, dated 1864, announces the building of the temple, the second, the laying of the foundation stone in 1865.

Wihan: Decorated with marble, mother-of-pearl and carved wood. Gateways and windows are decorated with stucco crowns, door and window frames with Chinese pearl. There are murals of Royal ceremonies and pictures of a solar eclipse.

Phra Puttasihingkhapatimakorn: A copy of Phra Putthasihing seated on Phra Putta-asana where the ashes of King Rama IV are kept.

Prasat Yod Prang: Two of these are in Khmer style and the front of the arch is decorated in stucco.

Khmer Prang: Contains the ashes of the Supreme Patriarch (Sa) and two later abbots.
Belfry: Decorated with Chinese tiles and coloured pottery.

Wat Ratchanatdaram

WAT RATCHANATDARAM WORAWIHAN

King Rama III ordered the construction of this temple as a gift to MC Somanas, who was later elevated by King Rama IV to the rank of HRH Princess Somanas Vadhanawadi.

Ubosot: The main chapel is built in the style of the King Rama III with rectangular pillars and stucco gable ends. The principal Buddha image was cast in copper, and King Rama IV named it Phra Settutamuni.

Loha Prasat: This is the only sanctuary made in Thai style. Building began in the reign of King Rama III, and it was extensively decorated in the reigns of King Rama V and King Rama VI. The 37 spires of the sanctuary represent the 37 Bodhipak Khiyadhamma - the virtues leading to enlightenment. The wooden staircases in the middle room are built around large wooden posts leading upwards. In the centre is an alcove containing relics of the Buddha.

Kuti: The monks' residences are typical of the style of the reign of Rama III.

Wat Ratchaburana

WAT RATCHABURANA RATCHAWORAWIHAN

A Chinese trader named Liap who lived in the late Ayutthaya period built this temple, so it is called Wat Jeen Liap, Jeen means "Chinese ” . In time, the word Jeen was dropped, leaving on the words Wat Liap.

When King Rama I was crowned, HSH Prince Thepharipitak restored it as a Royal temple and named it Wat Ratchaburana, which was the name of capital's temple in the Sukhothai period.

Prang: Built in the reign of King Rama II and has 28 notches on its five-level lotus base. Each level is surrounded by figures of demons, and the top of the prang is a crown with a noppasoon (Siva's weapon).

Ubosot: During World War II, this area was damaged by bombing. The present ubosot was rebuilt to the design of Prof. Luang Wisan Silpaka (Cheua Patamachinda).

Part of its historical importance is that Khrua In Khong, the monk praised as a master artist at the court, was ordained at this temple. He was "a pioneer of incorporating the European style into traditional Thai art by introducing perspective"

Wat Molilokkayaram

WAT MOLILOKKAYARAM RATCHAWORAWIHA

Noriginal name of this temple was Wat Tai Talat. Since it was built in the palace ground King Rama I invited monks to take up residence in' King Rama II restored the temple and nam it Wat Phutthaisawan. He later sent his son to educated there. The name was changed to W Moliloksuttharam by King Rama III.

Ubosot: The main chapel has a three-tier roof decorated with traditional ornaments such chorfa finials and bairaka at the sloping edg The window and pediments are decorated w' stucco, and the wooden door and window pane are finely carved with tree and flower patterns.

Somdet Phra Phutthakosajarn Mansion : This was a famous spiritual master's residence. Its do and windows are painted in the kammalor style.

Wihan: The sermon hall was built in t Ayutthaya period and the stucco reliefs on t pediments, doors, and windows were adde during the reign of King Rama III.

Kuti: The monks' residences were built of wood and are in the Thai-Chinese style.Hor Trai:The scripture building is also of wood, and its window panels are decorated with gilded lacquer.

Wat Ratchabophit

WAT RATCHABOPHIT SATHITMAHASIMARAM RATCHAWORAWIHAN

King Rama V ordered this to be the first temple built after he came to the throne. It was to commemorate the Queen and his concubines. It later became the temple of King Rama VII.

Ubosot: Exterior of the main chapel is Thai, but the interior is European in style. The patterns copy Royal decorations in mother of pearl. The door frames are "an important example of the Rattanakosin style."

Phra Puttha Ankhiros: A Buddha image in the Meditation posture inside the ubosot. It is entirely gilded with gold on a chukchi base, where the ashes of King Rama VII are kept.

Chedi: Built in the Thai style, with a notched base decorated with Bencharong ceramics. The top of the chedi holds relics of the Lord Buddha, and the enclosure around it contains Buddha images in several postures.

Wihan: This prayer hall is in the same style as the ubosot. The window frames are patterned with Royal decorations lacquered with gold leaf.

Royal Cemetery: Monuments containing the ashes of the Queen, concubines, sons and daughters of King Rama V and the Royal Family, are here in the form of Khmer stupas and chedis.

Remarkably, there are no sema, or boundary stones, around the ubosot. Instead, they are set on a circle of columns facing in eight directions.

Wat Ratchasittharam

WAT RATCHASITHARAM RATCHAWORAWIHAN

King Rama I had this temple built besidethe oId Wat Plub, and later merged the two. The _ample was restored during the reign of King Ram . III. Tamnak Chan, the mansion given to King Rama II when he entered the monkhood, was also restored, and the name of the temple was changed to Wat Ratchasittharam

Ubosot: The brick and stucco main chapel has i two-tiered roof. On the pediments are der -tions of Narai (Vis nu) mounted on a g ruda, with flower motifs and coloured glass mosaics. The murals depict the penuitiMate life of the Lord Buddha and the Tribhumikatha, the Buddhist cosmology of the three worlds, Heaven, Earth and Hell.Tamnak Chan: The ground floor was built of b ck and stucco while the upper floor is of char or sandal wood. During restoration in King Ram Ill's reign, the mansion was moved to the side if the Keng Jeen, the Chinese style mansion.

Sala Karnparian : The instruction hall has a two-tiered roof and contain two preaching chair ,14 gilded lacquer painted cabinets and the chair given by the king.

Chedi : The two chedi are named PhraSirasana Chedi and Phra Sirajumphot Chedi. Their bases are decorated with ropes of stucco.

Wat Phrasimahathat

WAT PHRASIMAHATHAT WORAMAHAWIHAN

During the time when F.M. Plaek Pibulsongkram was Prime Minister, the government decided to build a temple which was to be called, "Wat Prachathippatai," literally "Democracy Temple" to commemorate the introduction of the democratic system into Thailand. The chosen site was near the Constitutional Defence Monument. While the temple was being built, Thai envoys to India requested the Indian government for some relics of the Lord Buddha, shoots from the sacred Pho tree and soil from the holy places to be brought back to the temple. As a result, the temple's name was changed to Phrasimahathat.

Pho Tree: Standing on the Circular Island in front of the chedi. At the foot of the tree is a Buddha image in the Meditation posture.

Chedi Simahathat: A double-layer chedi, the outer layer enclosing a smaller one. Between the two is corridor with four entrances. The relics of the Lord Buddha and the holy soil were placed in the middle of the chedi. Inside the bigger chedi are 112 apertures for urns containing the bones and ashes of important dignitaries approved by Parliament as having "contributed greatly to the nation”.