Wat Champa ( th, วัดจำปา, ) is an ancient Thai Buddhist temple in Bang Ramat Sub-District,

Taling Chan Taling Chan ( th, ตลิ่งชัน, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbours, clockwise from the north, are Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province and Bang Phlat, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok Yai, Phas ...

District,

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 ...

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 ...

side.

History

Wat Champa (literally: '' champak temple'') was built in the late

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 underwent a massive restoration in the

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 ...

's reign during early Rattanakosin period. The gables 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 ...

of temple are studded with

Chinese porcelain Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese ceramics range from construc ...

and the window frames are made of elaborately carved wood. Behind this hall is a pool of

holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

that is more than 100 years old, it never runs dry and the water is believed to cure illnesses. left, Luang Por Chokdee The principle

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 ...

named "Luang Por Chokdee" (หลวงพ่อโชคดี), which means "lucky venerable father".

Tourism

Wat Champa Community or Ko San Chao Community (ชุมชนเกาะศาลเจ้า) is a community of locals who living around this temple. The community is bounded by highways and urban development all around but it is inaccessible by road creating a verdant oasis filled with fruit plantations and ''

khlong A ''khlong'' ( th, คลอง, ), alternatively spelt as ''klong'' () commonly refers to a canal in Thailand. These canals are spawned by the rivers Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, and Mae Klong, along with their tributaries particularly in the low-ly ...

s'' (canal), hence the name ''ko'' or island in Thai. This community is believed to last more than 500 years. The reason it was called Ko San Chao (''shrine island''), because there is a shrine located at the center of the community, where Khlong Bang Ramat meet Khlong Ban Sai. It is a shrine of "Chao Por Chui" (เจ้าพ่อจุ้ย), the water

tutelar A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety an ...

that the locals respect for a long time since the past. Nowadays, they still maintain the traditional way of life as in the past, there is also

homestay Homestay (also home stay and home-stay) is a form of hospitality and lodging whereby visitors share a residence with a local of the area (host) to which they are traveling. The length of stay can vary from one night to over a year and can be pr ...

in traditional Thai style for visitors to experience the authentic way of life here. Moreover, this community is also the last source that still maintains the banana engraving method, which is a traditional sculpting works used in various auspicious ceremonies. Also not far from other tourist attractions that are

floating market A floating market is a market where goods are sold from boats. Originating in times and places where water transport played an important role in daily life, most floating markets operating today mainly serve as tourist attractions, and are chie ...

s such as Wat Champa,

or Khlong Lat Mayom etc. Wat Champa and its community are not accessible by BMTA bus because they are located in an area that is down the gardens and khlongs. Visitors in addition to being accessible by boat can also take a '' songthaew'' (Thai style minibus) from

Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital (SiPH) () is a hospital operated by the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital of Mahidol University. It is located in Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, adjacent to Siriraj Hospital and opposite ...

for an eight baht fare.

References

External links

* {{Tourist attractions in Bangkok Taling Chan district Buddhist temples in Bangkok Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok category:Tourist attractions in Bangkok