Wat Nang Chi Chotikaram ( th, วัดนางชีโชติการาม) or Wat Nang Chi Worawihan (วัดนางชีวรวิหาร), simply known as Wat Nang Chai (วัดนางชี) is a Thai Buddhist third-class royal temple 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 populati ...

History

Wat Nang Chi dated back to middle Ayutthaya period, its name refers to ''" votaress temple"''. Because it is said that it was created from one nobleman who had a daughter who had just recovered from the disease, she therefore ordained by make a votive offering. Her father therefore built this temple to offer as a Buddhist altar. Later on at the time of the late Ayutthaya period, the temple was abandoned. In the reigns of King

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...

and 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 ...

of early Rattanakosin period, the temple was restored and rebuilt in some parts with

Chinese architecture Chinese architecture ( Chinese:中國建築) is the embodiment of an architectural style that has developed over millennia in China and it has influenced architecture throughout Eastern Asia. Since its emergence during the early ancient era, ...

which was popular during that time. That is way this temple has no gable apex on the roof of the

ordination hall The ordination hall is a Buddhist building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual ('' upasampada'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Patimokkha. The ordination hall ...

like other temples. Although it is only a small and quiet temple today but there is something interesting that is the place where Buddha's relics are enshrined without being placed in pagoda like other temples.

Location

Wat Nang Chi located at the shore of Khlong Dan

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

, Soi Thoet Thai 41/1, Pak Khlong Phasi Charoen Subdistrict, Phasi Charoen District, Bangkok's

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. The temple and including nearby canals was used as the location for filming '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' in 1974, in the boat chase scene.

Local tradition

The temple has an annual religion tradition called " Chak Phra", is to invite the Buddha's relics onto a barge decorated with beautiful flowers. Then the barge procession will sail from Khlong Dan turn left into Khlong Bangkok Yai, and enter Khlong Bangkok Noi pass Wat Kai Tia at Khlong Chak Phra before ending at

Taling Chan District Office Dingcheng () is a town and the county seat of Ding'an, in the northeast of Hainan Province, China. It has an area of and a population of 95,695 as of 2010. Historically, Dingcheng referred to the old town center beside the Nandu River. Around 20 ...

and back on the same day, after the

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

had finished lunch together from the merit making of Buddhists by passing through Chao Phraya River and entering the various canals before returning to Wat Nang Chi as usual. The tradition is held annually on the 2nd day of the waning moon of the 12th Thai lunar month, but today has extended the event to three days to allow people to pay more respect to the Buddha's relics. It is a tradition that treats every year for over 200 years since the early Rattanakosin period and regarded as the only Chak Phra that has occurred in Bangkok.

References

{{commons category, Wat Nang Chi, Bangkok, Wat Nang Chi Chotikaram Buddhist temples in Bangkok Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok Phasi Charoen district