Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai ( th, วัดบางพลีใหญ่ใน, ) is a Thai Buddhist temple in the area of Bang Phli Yai Subdistrict,

Bang Phli District Bang Phli ( th, บางพลี, ) is a district (''amphoe'') of Samut Prakan province in Thailand. It is home to Suvarnabhumi Airport (also called (New) Bangkok International Airport), which opened on 28 September 2006 as Thailand's primary ...

, Samut Prakan Province, outskirts Bangkok. The temple is classified as the third rank of royal temple, and has a long history since the middle

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...

. It was formerly known as Wat Phlapphla Chai Chana Songkhram (วัดพลับพลาชัยชนะสงคราม; literally ''"victory pavilion temple"'') as it was built to commemorate

King Naresuan King Naresuan the Great (( th, สมเด็จพระนเรศวรมหาราช, , ) or Sanphet II ( th, สรรเพชญ์ที่ ๒), ( my , နရဲစွမ် (သို့) ဗြနရာဇ်); 1555/1556 – ...

's victory over Burma army in this area. left, Luang Pho To This temple is well known from the principal

Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in ...

that is called Luang Pho To (หลวงพ่อโต), one of the most revered Buddha statues in Thailand. According to

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, it was first sighted floating in the

Khlong Samrong Khlong Samrong ( th, คลองสำโรง, ) is a ''khlong'' (canal) in central Thailand, regarded as the main watercourse of Samut Prakan Province. History The khlong was created a long way back, since the King Ramathibodi II's reign of ...

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 flow un ...

by one of three brothers who were escaping the war with the Burmese during the Ayutthaya period. While some folklore says it floated along the tides, along with four other Buddha statues or two statues, all of which are sacred Buddha statues in the central basin (Luang Pho Sothon (หลวงพ่อโสธร) of

Wat Sothonwararam Wat Sothonwararam is a temple in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand. Located in the Municipality of Mueang Chachoengsao alongside the Bang Pakong River, it was initially named ‘Wat Hong,’ and was built in the late Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or ...

in Chachoengsao, Luang Pho Wat Rai Khing (หลวงพ่อวัดไร่ขิง) of

Wat Rai Khing 250px, Luang Por Wat Rai Khing Wat Rai Khing ( th, วัดไร่ขิง, ; ) is another prominent and notable temple in Nakhon Pathom province in addition to Wat Phra Pathom Chedi, which is the provincial temple. Wat Rai Khing is locate ...

in Nakhon Pathom, Luang Pho Ban Laem (หลวงพ่อบ้านแหลม) of

Wat Ban Laem Wat Phet Samut Worawihan ( th, วัดเพชรสมุทรวรวิหาร) or popularly known as Wat Ban Laem (วัดบ้านแหลม) is an ancient wat, Thai Buddhist temple in Maha Nikaya, Mahā Nikāya sect of Samut S ...

in Samut Songkram, and Luang Pho Thong (หลวงพ่อทอง) or Luang Pho Wat Khao Takrao (หลวงพ่อวัดเขาตะเครา) of Wat Khao Takrao in Phetchaburi). In addition, Old Bang Phli Market (ตลาดโบราณบางพลี), a traditional

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

lines along the Khlong Samrong next to the temple. The community contains many different shops, which are getting rare these day. More than 100 years old, it still retains the quaint charm of the old day. Regarded as another interesting cultural attraction of Bang Phli. Both temple and market are situated behind Big C Bang Phli, Thepharak Rd km 13.

References

{{commonscat, Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai Buddhist temples in Samut Prakan province Tourist attractions in Samut Prakan province