If you want to visit these places with a travel
agent, pleaseclick
here.
Apart from having a great number of Thai style Buddhist temples, Bangkok
is packed with many interesting places of worship. Listed below are some
famous religious sites that have long been respected by the Thais.
Wat Mangkon
Kamalawat (China town)
Built in 1871 and taking 8 years to be completed, the temple features
the most outstanding Southern Chinese architecture in Thailand. To be
consistent with its Chinese dialect name “Leng Noei Yi”, which
means the dragon, lotus, and temple, King Rama V named the temple in Thai
“Mangkon Kamalawat”. Besides having about 300 monks and a
school in the monastery, the temple houses a great number of Chinese Supreme
Being statues to be worshipped. Each day the temple is crowded with both
local Thai-Chinese and overseas Chinese who bring offerings to their devoted
divinities.
Location:
Charoen Krung Road
Open:
6.00-17.00 hrs.
Buses:
1,4,25,40,507
Tel:
+66 (0) 2222 3975
For taxi:
San Chao
Pho Suea (Tiger God Shrine)
The old Taoist shrine constructed in Southern Chinese architectural style
is one of the popular places of worship in Bangkok. The tiger statue,
representing the Tiger God, is believed to contain tiger bones and its
spirit inside for the purpose of protecting people from the forces of
evil. The deity is highly respected by the local people and is believed
to be able to improve their fortune.
Location:
Tanao Road
Open:
8.00-16.00 hrs.
Buses:
2,15,47,59,511,512
For taxi:
The Goddess Thap
Thim Shrine
The Goddess Thap Thim or Jui Boneo is a revered Goddess among Thai-Chinese
and fishermen. The shrine is well known for its red triangular cloth used
as a talisman to protect the fishermen from bad luck while they go to
sea.
Location:
Samsen Road
Open:
6.00-17.00 hrs.
For taxi:
Avalokitesvara
Shrine (Chokchai 4)
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is known among the Chinese worldwide as the
Goddess of Mercy. The shrine features Chinese architectural style and
a number of Mahayana divinity images. Each year during the Chinese festive
events like the Chinese New Year (usually in late January or February)
and the Vegetarian Festival (October), the shrine will arrange activities
to celebrate the occasions. And the annual Goddess procession is scheduled
9 days after the Chinese New Year.
Location:
Lat Phrao Road
Open:
7.00-21.00 hrs.
Buses:
8,27,44,145,502
For taxi:
Wat Bhoman Khunaram
Built in 1959 by a senior monk in the Chinese Sect, the Buddhism arts in
this beautiful temple are a magnificent cross between Thai, Chinese, and
Tibetan styles. The temple ground covers an area of 5 acres and the monastery
was completed at a total construction cost of around 30 million baht. In
1970, HM King Bhumibol came to perform the raising of a tiered umbrella
to be placed on the top of the main building of the temple. He also granted
the placement of his royal initials above the entrance to the temple and
named the principal Buddha Image “Phra Buddha Vachara Bodhikhun”
in 1971. The elaborate artistic value of Bhoman-Khunaram Temple has been
widely known and it is often referred to as the most beautiful and magnificent
Chinese temple in Thailand and even in entire Southeast Asia.
Location:
Sathu Pradit Road
Open:
7.00 –18.00 hrs.
Buses:
35,62,77
Tel:
+66 (0) 2211 7885, 2211 2363
For taxi:
The Brahma Shrine
Located in front of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, the shrine is always crowded
with devotees of the Brahma, both Thais and foreigners who come to make
a wish. Wooden carved elephants or classical dances along with traditional
Thai music will be presented as votive offerings when the wishes are granted.
The sidewalk to the shrine is packed with street vendors selling offerings
and a dance troupe is there ready to be hired to perform at the shrine.
Location:
At the junction of Ratchadamri and Phloenchit
Roads
Open:
6.00 – 22.00 hrs.
Buses:
2,13,17,25,508,511
Tel:
+66 (0) 2252 8754
For taxi:
Wat Phrasrimaha
Uma Dhevi (Wat Khaek)
The Shakti Sect Hindu Temple was built in 1879 by the Indians immigrated
from Tamil Nadu, Southern India to be a shrine of Goddess Uma Dhevi. The
temple features the ancient Indian art and architectural style. The annual
Goddess worshipping ceremony is held around September and October.
Location:
Pan Road, Silom
Open:
6.00 – 20.00 hrs.
Buses:
77,163,504,514
For taxi:
The Official
Brahmanic Monastery (Devasathan)
Constructed by order of King Rama I in 1784 at the same time as the Giant
Swing (two years after the founding of Bangkok as capital). The Official
Brahmanic Monastery is the centre of Brahmanism in Thailand. Inside the
monastery, the Vishnu, Ganesh, and Narayana images are housed in a separate
shrine. And an exhibition hall displaying the equipment used in the Giant
Swing Ceremony, which is no longer performed, is open to the public.
Location:
Dinso Road
Open:
9.00 –16.00 hrs. (Thursdays and
Sundays)
Buses:
12,10,42
Tel:
+66 (0) 2222 6951
For taxi:
The Santa Cruz
Church (Wat Kudi Chin)
In 1770, King Tak Sin the Great granted the Portuguese immigrants a piece
of land in Kudi Chin where to construct a Catholic church, Kudi Chin being
an area on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River where there was a Portuguese
as well as Chinese community. Sixty-five years later, in 1835, the wooden
church was rebuilt and renamed “The Santa Cruz Church”, meaning
the Holy Cross, by Cardinal Pallegoix. There was another reconstruction
in 1913 by two famous Italian architects and the Italian style architecture
of the church has remained until now.
Location:
Thetsaban 1 Road
Open:
05.30 – 08.30 hrs. and 18.00 –
20.00 hrs.
Buses:
7,21,40,56,529
For taxi:
The Holy Rosary
Catholic Church (The Kalawar Church)
It is also called by the local people as
the Kalawar Church. The word Kalawar is a corruption of Calvary, which
is derived from the name of the hill near Jerusalem where Jesus Christ
was crucified. It was built in 1897 in the Neo-Gothic style of architecture.
The colourful stained glass of this church depicting stories from
the Old and New Testaments is still in its original condition.
Location:
On the bank of the Chao Phraya River
near the River City Complex
Open:
06.00 – 17.30 hrs.
Buses:
1,35,36,75,93
For taxi:
For your personal safety and protection
by law, please use the services of travel agencies holding a TAT license
only.
