Kian Un Keng Shrine or spelled Kuan An Keng Shrine ( th, ศาลเจ้าเกียนอันเกง; zh, 建安宮;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...

: ''Jiàn'ān gōng''), known internationally as Guanyin Shrine (ศาลเจ้าแม่กวนอิม), is an ancient Chinese joss house in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

, located on the western bank of

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

Wat Kanlaya Subdistrict Wat Kanlaya ( th, วัดกัลยาณ์, ) is a ''khwaeng'' (sub-district) of Thon Buri District, Bangkok's Thonburi side, regarded as the northeast area of the district adjacent to the Chao Phraya River's west side. History and presen ...

Thon Buri District Thon Buri ( th, ธนบุรี, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. On the west bank of Chao Phraya River, it was once part of Thon Buri province. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Bangkok Yai, ...

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which i ...

side in the area of

Kudi Chin 250px, Santa Cruz Church and Kudi Chin community as seen from opposite side ( Pak Khlong Talat) Kudi Chin ( th, กุฎีจีน, ) or Kadi Chin (, ), also spelled "Kudee Jeen", etc. is a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok. It is in Wat Kanl ...

community close to other

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...

including Wat Prayurawongsawat, Wat Kalayanamitr and Santa Cruz Church with

Bang Luang Mosque Bang Luang Mosque ( th, มัสยิดบางหลวง) is a historic mosque in Bangkok located in Soi Arun Amarin 7, New Arun Amarin Road, Wat Kanlaya Subdistrict, Thon Buri District, Thonburi side within Kudi Khao Community by the Khlon ...

. This shrine is a Hokkien temple. It's one of the oldest shrines in Thonburi and Thailand by King

Taksin King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew: Dên Chao; April 17, ...

and brought the Goddess

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

statue to be enshrined here. The Guanyin

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

is different from other shrines because mostly the Guanyin in other shrines are in standing position, but here the Guanyin is in sitting position. The Guanyin statue is made of wood carved and coated with gold. There are also murals and paintings of the classical novel Romance of Three Kingdoms, including dolls decorated on the wall decorations for visiting and worshipping. 250px, left, Principal Guanyin statue Its name is assumed to be the origin of the name Kudi Chin, which means "Chinese monk's dwelling". Originally, the shrine was divided into two shrines, Lord Guan and Chor Su Kong shrines. Later, both were in disrepair during the reign of King Taksin. During the reign of King

Rama III Nangklao ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, ; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), birth name Thap ( th, ทับ), also styled Rama III, was the third king of Siam u ...

, the Hokkienese therefore demolished both shrines and rebuilt with Chinese courtyard architecture along with brought the Guanyin statue enshrined instead since then. Its name meaning ''"building that create peace and tranquility for the Hokkienese"''. It is currently under the care of Simasatian (or Shēn, 沈) and Tantiwetchakun (or Chen, 陳) families, which are their offspring. The shrine received the ASA Architectural Conservation Award in 2008. Moreover, during the annually Vegetarian Festival this shrine will have a special event unlike other shrines. That is a ceremony similar to

Loi Krathong Loy Krathong ( th, ลอยกระทง, , ) is a Thai festival celebrated annually throughout Thailand and in nearby countries with significant South Western Tai cultures (Laos, Shan, Mon, Tanintharyi, Kelantan, Kedah, and Xishuangbanna) ...

in order change one's bad fortune for the people who make merit here. Including a boat trip to visit another shrine on opposite side of the river, Chó-su-kong Shrine in

Talat Noi Talat Noi or Talad Noi ( th, ตลาดน้อย, ) is a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok. It roughly occupies the area of the sub-district of the same name in Samphanthawong District. On the periphery of Bangkok's Chinatown, Talat Noi has ...

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austr ...

See more

* Thian Fah Foundation– Another Guanyin shrine in Phra Nakhon side, Bangkok

References

{{Tourist attractions in Bangkok category:Guanyin temples category:Buildings and structures in Bangkok category:Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River Religious buildings and structures in Bangkok Thon Buri district category:Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok Chinese shrines in Thailand