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| 1907 Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram in Bangkok (1) |
Posted on 19.09.2015, 29.11.2016, 21.08.2017
Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram, also known as the marble temple, is a Buddhist temple (wat) in the Dusit district of Bangkok. Construction of the temple began in 1899 at the request of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) after building his palace nearby. Actually, the temple's name literally means the Temple of the fifth King located nearby Dusit Palace. It was designed by Prince Naris, a half-brother of the king, and has display of carrarra marble pillars, a marble courtyard and two large singhas (lions) guarding the entrance to the ubosot (ordination hall).
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| 2887 Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram in Bangkok (2) |
Inside the hall is a Sukhothai-style Buddha statue named Phra Buddhajinaraja, cast in 1920 after the original located in Wat Mahathat in Phitsanulok. The ashes of King Chulalongkorn are buried beneath the statue. In the gallery surrounding the ordination hall are 53 buddha statues (33 originals and 20 copies) representing every mudra (gesture) and style from Thai history. The structure is a unique example of modern Thai temple architecture, as is the interior design, which melds Thai features with European influences.
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| 3131 Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram in Bangkok (3) |
Merit makers come to the monks of the temple for getting alms every morning. Between 6-7:30 in the morning, the monks line up on Nakhon Pathom with their bowls to receive donations of curry, rice, lotus buds, incense,toiletries and other essentials. The evening candlelight procession around the bot during the Buddhist festivals of Magha Puja (in February) and Visakha Puja (in May) are common for this temple.
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