250px, Wat Phra Samut Chedi Wat Phra Samut Chedi ( th, วัดพระสมุทรเจดีย์, ) is an ancient

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

Phra Samut Chedi District Phra Samut Chedi ( th, พระสมุทรเจดีย์, ) is the westernmost district (''amphoe'') of Samut Prakan province in central Thailand. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the west, clockwise) Bang Khun Thian and Thung ...

central Thailand Central Thailand (Central plain) or more specifically Siam (also known as Suvarnabhumi and Dvaravati) is one of the regions of Thailand, covering the broad alluvial plain of the Chao Phraya River. It is separated from northeast Thailand (Isan) by ...

. Lined on the

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 ...

's bank in the area of Pak Khlong Bang Pla Ko Sub-district, near Phisuea Samut Fortress and

Chulachomklao Fort Phra Chulachomklao Fort (; also known as "Phra Chun Fort") is a water fortress in a sub-district in Khlong Bang Pla Kot, Phra Samut Chedi District, Samut Prakan Province. With no evidence of the date, approximately in March 1884, King Chulalo ...

, which was built to protect the mouth of the Chao Phraya River and played an important role during the "

Paknam Incident The Paknam Incident was a military engagement fought during the Franco-Siamese War in July 1893. While sailing off Paknam on Siam's Chao Phraya River, three French ships violated Siamese territory and a Siamese fort and a force of gunboats fire ...

" (July 1893) in the King Rama V's reign. The most striking feature of the temple is "Phra Samut Chedi", the '' chedi'' (stūpa) of the same name and also the origin of the district where it is located. It was built since the King Rama II's reign but was completed during the subsequent reign, 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 ...

in the early Rattanakosin period (18th century). The stūpa was once settled on an island surrounded by the waterway before the water level decreased that it later connected to the mainland. Hence the name "Phra Samut Chedi", which means "ocean stūpa temple". Wat Phra Samut Chedi is considered one of the oldest and most well-known temples in Samut Prakan. Its stūpa is regarded as a symbol or landmark of the province, inside contains the Buddha's relics, image of Buddha's posture of Phra Ham Samut (pacifying the ocean) and Buddha image, Phra Chai Wat. On the 5th day of the waning moon of the 11th month of every year (around October), there will be a stūpa worship ceremony. This is the biggest temple fair in Samut Prakan and the one greatest traditions in the province.

References

{{Coord, 13.600165, N, 100.58678, E, type:isle, display=title 18th-century Buddhist temples Buddhist temples in Samut Prakan Province Registered ancient monuments in Thailand