Wat Bophit Phimuk Worawihan ( th, วัดบพิตรพิมุขวรวิหาร), or simple known as Wat Bophit Phimuk (or written as Wat Bopitpimukh) is a second grade royal temple in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, 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 estima ...

, located on Chakkrawat Road, Chakkrawat Sub-district,

Samphanthawong District Samphanthawong ( th, สัมพันธวงศ์, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Regarded as Bangkok's Chinatown, it is the smallest district in area but has the highest population density of Bangkok's districts. ...

near the foot of Phra Pok Klao Bridge on periphery of Chakkrawat Sub-district, Samphanthawong District and Wang Burapha Phirom Sub-district, Phra Nakhon District. Regarded as another Thai temple located in the area known as

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 Austra ...

, in addition to the

Wat Traimit The Golden Buddha, officially titled Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon ( th, พระพุทธมหาสุวรรณปฏิมากร; sa, Buddhamahāsuvarṇapaṭimākara), commonly known in Thai as Phra Sukhothai Traimit ( th, ...

or the Wat Chakkrawat. It is an ancient civil temple that has existed since the

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 ...

and named ''"Wat Teen Lane"'' (วัดตีนเลน) or ''"Wat Choeng Lane"'' (วัดเชิงเลน), due to the temple's location near the east bank of 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 ...

where the area had an abundance of

mud A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...

(lane in Thai means mud). This temple does not know who created it. Assumed that it would be built after the King

Narai King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Pr ...

's reign, because it does not appear in

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 is ...

map in those days. left, Principal Buddha statue Around 1781 during the King

Phutthayotfa Chulalok 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 Thai ...

(Rama I)'s reign, Prince

Anurak Devesh Somdet Phra Chao Lan Ther Chaofa Thong-In Krom Phra Rajawang Boworn Sathan Phimuk ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าหลานเธอ เจ้าฟ้าทองอิน กรมพระราชวังบวรสถาน� ...

who was a king's cousin renovated the entire temple and the king named it Wat Bophit Phimuk to honour him. In the King

Phutthaloetla Naphalai Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...

(Rama II)'s reign, an epidemic of cholera killed many people and their bodies were piled in the temple's graveyard alike to

Wat Saket Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan ( th, วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร, usually shortened to Wat Saket is a Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Bangkok, Thailand. The temple dates ba ...

and Wat Sangwet. In King

Nangklao 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 ...

(Rama III)'s reign, the wood structures were demolished and replaced by masonry buildings. Later, King

Mongkut Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibod ...

(Rama IV) had the temple restored again and a teak wooden pavilion was built with the design of the King's emblem, a royal crown on a pedestal guarded by

mythical creature A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be feat ...

s. This still appears on the front and side of the pavilion. The monks' dwellings reflex a combination of Thai and Chinese architectural styles. The principal Buddha statue of the temple is Buddha statue in Māravijaya posture namely "Phra Sam Phuttha Bophit" (พระสัมพุทธบพิตร) enshrined within the main hall.

References

External links

* {{Official website, 1=https://www.watbopitpimuk.com Samphanthawong district Buddhist temples in Bangkok 17th-century Buddhist temples Thai Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok