If you’re looking for temples in Thailand you’re definitely not going to be disappointed, there are over 400 of them in the Thai capital alone. The most famous and important temple is the Grand Palace and the Royal Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
One thing you need to be aware of, if you’re visiting this temple, is the strict dress code. If you’re visiting any temple in Thailand you’re expected to dress respectfully and at the Royal Temple the dress code is always enforced.
One of the main reasons for the dress code at the Royal Temple is that the Grand Palace and grounds are still in use by the Royal Family on ceremonial occasions. You should try and be prepared, but don’t worry too much if you get taken aside by one of the guards. You will be ushered to a changing area and given a more respectable local garment to hire. If you don’t want this to happen then just pay attention to the dress code.
Some of the items in the list of what isn’t allowed are what you would probably imagine, such as see-through clothing, but a few might surprise you. Here’s the rest of the list, so you can be prepared.
- Short skirts and shorts or even shortened trousers (you should always wear full length). Skirts that fall below the knee are permitted.
- Tight fitting trousers such as leggings.
- Any clothing that has holes in, such as ripped jeans.
- Vests or any top without sleeves, you can wear t-shirts.
- Any top with sleeves rolled up, even if it’s warm keep your sleeves down.
- Sportswear of any type.
- Sweat shirts or sweat pants.
- Perhaps unexpectedly you can wear sandals and flip-flops (in a suitable design) but it’s best to wear full shoes for comfort when you’re walking around.
As it’s the main temple in Bangkok, and the place where we’ve spoken about the dress code being most vigorously applied, we’ll start with the Grand Palace and the Royal Temple of the Emerald Buddha.Of all the temples in Bangkok this is the must see.The palace was built in 1782 and is a truly inspirational example of the creativity of the Thai nation, with its intricate and ornate architecture. Even though the Royal Family no longer resides at the palace, it still lies at the heart of the Thai people.
The site also plays host to royalty on ceremonial occasions such as the changing of the robes of the Emerald Buddha.Carved from a single piece of jade, the Emerald Buddha is a small representation of the Buddha in a meditating position. The carving dates back to the 15th century and is revered in Thailand. It is housed in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, or Wat Phra Kaew, which is on the same site as the Grand Palace. The robes of the Buddha are changed three times each year, to correspond with changing seasons. This in an important event, said to bestow good fortune on the country, and is only ever undertaken by the king.
This is another temple which houses a representation of Buddha, but this is the reclining Buddha and he has very different proportions from the Emerald Buddha. The Reclining Buddha is 15 metres tall and 46 metres long; even his feet are 5 metres in length! Visiting the Buddha is the most popular thing to do at the site, and if you need some luck in your life you can buy some coins at the door to throw in the brass bowls within the room where the Buddha is housed. You should be aware that you’ll be expected to remove your footwear and that your shoulders should be covered, with no clothing to be worn that doesn’t fall below your knees.
In a city full of the most beautiful temples in the world which one rates the highest? It’s usually a battle between Wat Arun and Wat Pho, both worthy of a visit and both offering something a little different to the other. In many ‘what to do in Bangkok guides’ Wat Arun wins the battle! It is arguably the best temple in the city and there’s no doubt that this should be on your list of Bangkok attractions to visit.The Temple of Dawn, Wat Arun, sits on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
Named for the Hindu god, Aruna, the temple magically catches and reflects the first light of the morning sun, creating a striking sight that you’ll only be able to appreciate at dawn. Wat Arun looks quite amazing at night too, all lit up with a golden glow. The temple is best accessed by ferry across the river and be sure to climb the steep stairway up the face of the temple for the ultimate experience. If you make it to the top the views are fantastic and you’ll be able to tick that off your list of things to do in Bangkok!
Located at the end of Chinatown’s Yaowarat Road, near Hualampong Railway Station, Wat Traimit houses the world’s largest massive gold seated Buddha measuring nearly five metres in height and weighing five and a half tons. In the past, artisans crafted the Buddhas in gold and disguised them from invading armies by a covering of stucco and plaster.
The Buddha at Wat Traimit was discovered by accident when it was accidentally dropped as it was being moved, revealing, under a casing of plaster, a beautiful solid gold Sukhothai style Buddha. Pieces of the plaster are still kept on display.
Wat Traimit Opening Hours: 09:00 – 17:00
Location: Traimit Road (west of Hua Lampong Station), at the very beginning of Chinatown
Price Range: 10 Baht to visit the museum located half way to the top of the building.
Visiting the golden buddha itself is free. This temple is a spectacular site with its multi-level white and gold architecture. One of the most fascinating facts about Wat Traimit is that the fabulous golden Buddha was only actually revealed to be made of solid gold in 1955. When statues such as this one were originally made they were covered in plaster and stucco so that they wouldn’t be recognised as valuable if anyone raided the temple.
If you’re visiting temples in Bangkok then you really can’t miss this one. Bangkok has no lack of majestic temples, all more elegant and impressive than the next, but some really stand out with their unique architectural identity. Despite being quite near Khaosan Road and next to the well known Wat Saket, the superb Loha Prasat is not often talked about. Also called the ‘Metal Castle’, Loha Prasat is located in the grounds of Wat Ratchanaddaram and was even submitted to UNESCO in 2005 to become a world heritage site, highlighting the historical importance of the temple. However this title hasn’t yet been given.
Built in 1846 on request of King Nangklao (Rama III) and inspired by two other similar temples found in India and Sri Lanka, Loha Prasat is a 36 m high construction supporting 37 metal spires representing the 37 virtues toward enlightenment. The temple is erected in a very unusual way with multiples concentric square levels built on geometrically aligned pillars. A relic of lord Buddha is kept at the highest level.
Loha Prasat is the Indian name dating from the time of Buddha, refering to a multi-storey and square based construction with metal spires and originally used as Monk’s quarters. Only three such constructions ever existed in the world but only the one in Bangkok is still standing.Being located so close to Khaosan and Wat Saket, a visit to Loha Prasat is almost a must if you happen to be visiting this superb area and its Champs Elysées style avenue. A small 20 baht fee is requested to enter this beautiful maze and its spiral staircase, but as often no one is around, consider the 20 baht a donation. Walk around the alleys created by the many pillars to discover the exhibition and history of this temple which was falling apart until the current king ordered its restoration.
Don’t miss the large white temples of Wat Ratchanaddaram surrounding Loha Prasat itself and admire the golden seated Buddha and the beautiful murals pairings and door carvings. At the back of Loha Prasat is also a popular amulet and buddha statues market worth a visit. Cross the street to find a surprising wooden house village behind the white wall of the ancient fort. Continue later to Wat Saket, located at walking distance (note that you will have to walk around the fort to reach the street to Wat Saket).
While you’re visiting Bangkok, look on the back of a 5 baht coin and you’ll find a engraving of Wat Benchamabophit. Although relatively modern (it was constructed in 1900) this is one of the most revered temples in Bangkok and is often the site of visits by leading Thai officials. Take a trip to the site and you’ll be captivated by the pristine imported Italian marble that covers the outer walls of the temple
BUDDHISM
Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school, which is followed by 93.6 percent of the population. Buddhism in Thailand has also become integrated with folk religion as well as Chinese religions from the large Thai Chinese population.
During the 5th to 13th centuries, Southeast Asian empires were influenced directly from India and followed Mahayana Buddhism. The Chinese pilgrim Yijing noted in his travels that in these areas, all major sects of Indian Buddhism flourished. Srivijaya to the south and the Khmer Empire to the north competed for influence and their art expressed the rich Mahāyāna pantheon of bodhisattvas. From the 9th to the 13th centuries, the Mahāyāna and Hindu Khmer Empire dominated much of the Southeast Asian peninsula. Under the Khmer Empire, more than 900 temples were built in Cambodia and in neighboring Thailand.
After the decline of Buddhism in India, missions of Sinhalese monks gradually converted the Mon people and the Pyu city-states from Ari Buddhism to Theravāda and over the next two centuries also brought Theravāda Buddhism to the Bamar people, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where it supplanted previous forms of Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism was made the state religion only with the establishment of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th century.
Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is similar to that in other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailand shares cultural and historical heritage.
The details of the history of Buddhism in Thailand from the 13th to the 19th century are obscure, in part because few historical records or religious texts survived the Burmese destruction of Ayutthaya, the capital city of the kingdom, in 1767. The anthropologist-historian S. J. Tambiah, however, has suggested a general pattern for that era, at least with respect to the relations between Buddhism and the sangha on the one hand and the king on the other hand. In Thailand, as in other Theravada Buddhist kingdoms, the king was in principle thought of as patron and protector of the religion (sasana) and the sangha, while sasana and the sangha were considered in turn the treasures of the polity and the signs of its legitimacy.
Religion and polity, however, remained separate domains, and in ordinary times the organizational links between the sangha and the king were not close.
Among the chief characteristics of Thai kingdoms and principalities in the centuries before 1800 were the tendency to expand and contract, problems of succession, and the changing scope of the king’s authority. In effect, some Thai kings had greater power over larger territories, others less, and almost invariably a king who sought successfully to expand his power also exercised greater control over the sangha. That control was coupled with greater support and patronage of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. When a king was weak, however, protection and supervision of the sangha also weakened, and the sangha declined. This fluctuating pattern appears to have continued until the emergence of the Chakri Dynasty in the last quarter of the 18th century.
By the 19th century, and especially with the coming to power in 1851 of King Mongkut, who had been a monk himself for twenty-seven years, the sangha, like the kingdom, became steadily more centralized and hierarchical in nature and its links to the state more institutionalized. As a monk, Mongkut was a distinguished scholar of Pali Buddhist scripture.
Moreover, at that time the immigration of numbers of monks from Burma was introducing the more rigorous discipline characteristic of the Mon sangha. Influenced by the Mon and guided by his own understanding of the Tipitaka, Mongkut began a reform movement that later became the basis for the Dhammayuttika order of monks. Under the reform, all practices having no authority other than custom were to be abandoned, canonical regulations were to be followed not mechanically but in spirit, and acts intended to improve an individual’s standing on the road to nirvana but having no social value were rejected.
This more rigorous discipline was adopted in its entirety by only a small minority of monasteries and monks. The Mahanikaya order, perhaps somewhat influenced by Mongkut’s reforms but with a less exacting discipline than the Dhammayuttika order, comprised about 95 percent of all monks in 1970 and probably about the same percentage in the late 1980s. In any case, Mongkut was in a position to regularize and tighten the relations between monarchy and sangha at a time when the monarchy was expanding its control over the country in general and developing the kind of bureaucracy necessary to such control.
The administrative and sangha reforms that Mongkut started were continued by his successor. In 1902 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868–1910) made the new sangha hierarchy formal and permanent through the Sangha Law of 1902, which remained the foundation of sangha administration in modern Thailand.
The history of Buddhism spans from the 5th century BCE to the present; which arose in the eastern part of Ancient India, in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha (now in Bihar, India), and is based on the teachings of Siddhārtha Gautama. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. The religion evolved as it spread from the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent through Central, East, and Southeast Asia. At one time or another, it influenced most of the Asian continent.
The history of Buddhism is also characterized by the development of numerous movements, schisms, and schools, among them the Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions, with contrasting periods of expansion and retreat.
Siddhārtha Gautama was the historical founder of Buddhism. He was born a Kshatriya warrior prince in Lumbini, Shakya Republic, which was part of the Kosala realm of ancient India, now in modern-day Nepal. He is also known as the Shakyamuni (literally: “The sage of the Shakya clan”). After an early life of luxury under the protection of his father, Śuddhodhana, the ruler of Kapilavasthu which later became incorporated into the state of Magadha, Siddhartha entered into contact with the realities of the world and concluded that life was inescapably bound up with suffering and sorrow. Siddhartha renounced his meaningless life of luxury to become an ascetic. He ultimately decided that asceticism couldn’t end suffering, and instead chose a middle way, a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.
Under a fig tree, now known as the Bodhi tree, he vowed never to leave the position until he found Truth. At the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment. He was then known as Gautama Buddha, or simply “The Buddha”, which means “the enlightened one”, or “the awakened one”. For the remaining 45 years of his life, he traveled the Gangetic Plain of central India (the region of the Ganges/Ganga river and its tributaries), teaching his doctrine and discipline to a diverse range of people. By the time of his death, he had thousands of followers.
The Buddha’s reluctance to name a successor or to formalise his doctrine led to the emergence of many movements during the next 400 years: first the schools of Nikaya Buddhism, of which only Theravada remains today, and then the formation of Mahayana and Vajrayana, pan-Buddhist sects based on the acceptance of new scriptures and the revision of older techniques.
Followers of Buddhism, called Buddhists in English, referred to themselves as Sakyan-s or Sakyabhiksu in ancient India. Buddhist scholar Donald S. Lopez asserts they also used the term Bauddha, although scholar Richard Cohen asserts that that term was used only by outsiders to describe Buddhists.
During the 1st century AD, the trade on the overland Silk Road tended to be restricted by the rise in the Middle-East of the Parthian empire, an unvanquished enemy of Rome, just as Romans were becoming extremely wealthy and their demand for Asian luxury was rising.
This demand revived the sea connections between the Mediterranean and China, with India as the intermediary of choice. From that time, through trade connection, commercial settlements, and even political interventions, India started to strongly influence Southeast Asian countries (excluding Vietnam). Trade routes linked India with southern Burma, central and southern Siam, islands of Sumatra and Java, lower Cambodia and Champa, and numerous urbanized coastal settlements were established there.
For more than a thousand years, Indian influence was therefore the major factor that brought a certain level of cultural unity to the various countries of the region. The Pāli and Sanskrit languages and the Indian script, together with Theravāda and Mahāyāna Buddhism, Brahmanism, and Hinduism, were transmitted from direct contact and through sacred texts and Indian literature such as the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata.
From the 5th to the 13th centuries, South-East Asia had very powerful empires and became extremely active in Buddhist architectural and artistic creation. The main Buddhist influence now came directly by sea from the Indian subcontinent, so that these empires essentially followed the Mahāyāna faith. The Sri Vijaya Empire to the south and the Khmer Empire to the north competed for influence, and their art expressed the rich Mahāyāna pantheon of the bodhisattvas.
From the 11th century, the destruction of Buddhism in the Indian mainland by Islamic invasions led to the decline of the Mahāyāna faith in South-East Asia. Continental routes through the Indian subcontinent being compromised, direct sea routes developed from the Middle-East through Sri Lanka to China, leading to the adoption of the Theravāda Buddhism of the Pāli canon, introduced to the region around the 11th century from Sri Lanka.
King Anawrahta (1044–1078); the founder of the Pagan Empire, unified the country and adopted the Theravādin Buddhist faith. This initiated the creation of thousands of Buddhist temples at Pagan, the capital, between the 11th and 13th centuries. Around 2,200 of them are still standing. The power of the Burmese waned with the rise of the Thai, and with the seizure of the capital Pagan by the Mongols in 1287, but Theravāda Buddhism remained the main Burmese faith to this day.
The Theravāda faith was also adopted by the newly founded ethnic Thai kingdom of Sukhothai around 1260. Theravāda Buddhism was further reinforced during the Ayutthaya period (14th–18th century), becoming an integral part of Thai society.
In the continental areas, Theravāda Buddhism continued to expand into Laos and Cambodia in the 13th century. From the 14th century, however, on the coastal fringes and in the islands of south-east Asia, the influence of Islam proved stronger, expanding into Malaysia, Indonesia, and most of the islands as far as the southern Philippines.
Nevertheless, since Suharto’s rise to power in 1966, there has been a remarkable renaissance of Buddhism in Indonesia. This is partly due to the requirements of Suharto’s New Order for the people of Indonesia to adopt one of the five official religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism or Buddhism. Today it is estimated there are some 10 million Buddhists in Indonesia. A large part of them are people of Chinese ancestry.
There are more than 300 temples in Chiang Mai and its outskirts, with a dozen stand-outs of historical or architectural significance within walking distance of each other. Buddhist temples in Chiang Mai exhibit a mixture of Lanna Thai, Burmese, Sri Lankan and Mon architectural styles that reflect the varied heritage of Northern Thailand.
Though certain temples on the conventional tourist circuit can be overrun with loud groups it is not hard to find many less well-known, but no less interesting, temples quietly and gently crumbling in the absence of tourist hordes.
Whichever you visit, keep in mind that the temples are sacred religious places of deep cultural significance for the locals. Show respect by wearing appropriate attire (long pants for men, modest tops and skirts for women, no bare shoulders or plunging necklines and women must wear a bra). You must take off your shoes before entering the temple or other buildings, but they may be worn in the courtyard. Taking photographs of Buddha images is no problem, but it is polite to ask before taking pictures of monks or locals. All temples are free.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a Theravada wat in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. The temple is often referred to as “Doi Suthep” although this is actually the name of the mountain where it’s located. It is a sacred site to many Thai people. The temple is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city of Chiang Mai.
From the temple, impressive views of Chiang Mai can be seen.
The original founding of the temple remains a legend and there are a few varied versions. The monastery was established in 1383 by King Keu Naone to enshrine a piece of bone said to be from the shoulder of the historical Buddha. The bone shard was brought to Lanna by a wandering monk from Sukhothai and it broke into two pieces at the base of the mountain, with one piece being enshrined at Wat Suan Dok. The second fragment was mounted onto a sacred white elephant that wandered the jungle until it died, in the process selecting the spot where the monastery was later founded.
The terrace at the top of the steps is dotted with breadfruit trees, small shrines, rock gardens and monuments, including a statue of the white elephant that carried the Buddha relic to its current resting place. Before entering the inner courtyard, children pay their respects to a lizard-like guardian dragon statue known as ‘Mom’. Steps lead up to the inner terrace, where a walkway circumnavigates the gleaming golden chedi enshrining the relic. The crowning five-tiered umbrella marks the city’s independence from Burma and its union with Thailand.
Pilgrims queue to leave lotus blossoms and other offerings at the shrines surrounding the chedi, which are studded with Buddha statues in an amazing variety of poses and materials. Within the monastery compound, the Doi Suthep Vipassana Meditation Center conducts a variety of religious outreach programs for visitors.
Rót daang run to the bottom of the steps to the temple from several points in Chiang Mai, including from in front of the zoo (40B per passenger) and in front of Wat Phra Singh (50B per passenger), but they only leave when they have enough passengers. A charter ride from the centre will cost 300B, or 500B return. Many people cycle up on mountain-biking tours from Chiang Mai, and you can also walk from the university.
Below is a list of Temples in Chiang Mai (within the walled city).
Wat Phra Singh, Corner of Singharaj Rd and Rajdamnern Rd. Probably Chiang Mai’s best-known temple, housing the Phra Singh image, completed between 1385 and 1400. Of most historical interest is the Wihan Lai Kham in the back, featuring Lanna-style temple murals and intricate gold patterns on red lacquer behind the altar. The large chedi was built in 1345 by King Pha Yu to house the remains of his father King Kam Fu. A typical scripture repository is located at this temple as well.
These repositories were designed to keep and protect the delicate sa or mulberry paper sheets used by monks and scribes to keep records and write down folklore. The high stucco-covered stone base of the repository protected the delicate scriptures from the rain, floods and pests. The walls of the chapel are covered with murals illustrating Lanna customs, dress, and scenes from daily life. The lovely Lai Kam chapel houses the revered Phra Singh Buddha image. Sadly, the head was stolen in 1922, and a reproduction is now seen. To enter the temple is free for Thais, and 20 baht for foreigners. The ticket is in a leaflet form containing useful information and map of Wat Phra Singh complex.
Wat Chiang Man, Rajpakinai Rd. The oldest royal temple in the city. Presumed to date from the year Chiang Mai was founded (1296), it is famed for two Buddha images, which according to legend are 1,800 and 2,500 years old. King Mengrai allegedly lived here while the city of Chiang Mai was being constructed. Enshrined in Wat Chiang Man is a tiny crystal Buddha called Pra Seh-Taang Kamaneeee, which is thought to have the power to bring rain. Another image, called Phra Sila Khoa, reflects the fine workmanship of Indian craftsmen from thousands of years ago.
Wat Chedi Luang, Prapokklao Rd. Almost in the centre of Chiang Mai are the remains of a massive chedi that toppled in in the great earthquake of 1545. The temple was originally constructed in 1401 on the orders of King Saeng Muang Ma. In 1454, reigning King Tilo-Garaj enlarged the chedi (pronounced jedee) to a height of 86 m.
After the earthquake, the chedi lay in ruins until 1991-92, when it was reconstructed at a cost of several million baht. A magnificent testament to Lanna (northern Thai) architecture and art, restored sections hint at its former glory. Wat Chedi Luang is also home to the “Pillar of the City”, a totem used in ancient Thai fertility rites.
Wat Phrachao Mengrai, Ratchamanka 6, Phra Sing (near Heuan Phen Restaurant), +66 53 278 788 . An atmospheric temple with two Wihan buildings, off the beaten track, quiet and gently crumbling. One of the Wihan buildings houses an important Buddha image: Phra Buddha Rupa Phra Chao Mengrai.
Wat Jet Yod (วัดเจ็ดยอด. Sometimes called Wat Chet Yot), Superhighway (about 1 km north of the Huay Kaew Rd/superhighway intersection). The history and unusual architecture scattered under the yawning canopy of ancient trees is an pleasant antidote to the flash and bustle encountered at popular temples. Established in 1455 to host the eighth World Buddhist Council, many features of the grounds imitate significant places of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Originally called Botharam Maha Vihata in honour of the venerated Bodhi tree, it came to be known as Wat Jet Yod by locals, after the seven spires (Jet Yod) protruding from the roof of the Vihara.
The square-sided design of the Virhra is a replica of Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, India, though the translation has distorted proportions somewhat. Remnants of the graceful stucco relief murals that adorned the walls depict angels with a distinctly Indian flavour. The grounds also hold some more recently built, but abandoned looking, eroded chedis and buckling bases of vanished halls, overshadowed by a fully intact, though more diminutive, replica of ‘Chedi Luang that was built around 1487 to house the ashes of King Tilokarat.
Wat Suan Dok (Suthep Rd). A large open-sided hall with a jumble of roughly hewn Buddhas with a huge dazzlingly whitewashed chedi behind.
Wat Umong, off Suthep Rd (at the end of a long narrow road, off Suthep Rd. Turn at the Italian restaurant.). >An ancient temple in the forest just outside Chiang Mai. King Mengrai built this temple for a highly respected forest monk who liked to wander in the countryside, hence the isolated location where the monk could stay quietly and meditate. It is unusual in that it has tunnel-like chambers in the ground, some of the walls of which still have the original paintings of birds and animals visible. The large stupa is magnificent, and there is an eerie statue of a fasting, emaciated Buddha next to it. You can also take a break by the ponds, where you can feed the fish and turtles. free.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, 225 Charoenprathet Road Tambon Chang Khlan, Amphoe Muang (3 min. south of the Old Steel Bridge on the city wall side of the river), 0-5327-1859 (fax: 0-5321-1876). Daily Roman Catholic Mass Monday to Saturday in Thai: 7 PM. Sunday Mass in Thai: 6:30 AM, 8:30 AM, 6:00 PM. Sunday Mass in English: 11 AM. free.
