Wat Kalayanamitr Varamahavihara ( th, วัดกัลยาณมิตรวรมหาวิหาร, , ) is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple (

wat A wat ( km, វត្ត, ; lo, ວັດ, ; th, วัด, ; khb, 「ᩅᨯ᩠ᨰ」(waD+Dha); nod, 「ᩅ᩠ᨯ᩶」（w+Da2)) is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Provi ...

) 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 ...

, Thailand. The temple is located in Wat Kanlaya sub-district, on the

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 ...

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 ...

. The temple was established in 1825 by

Chaophraya 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 ...

Nikonbodin (born To, th, เจ้าพระยานิกรบดินทร์ (โต)), a wealthy

Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais), Thais of Chinese origin ( th, ชาวไทยเชื้อสายจีน; ''exonym and also domestically''), endonym Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย), are Chinese descenda ...

trader, who donated the temple to

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 ...

. Chaophraya Nikonbodin was an ancestor of the Kalayanamitr family, whose descendants include

Saprang Kalayanamitr General Saprang Kalayanamitr ( th, สพรั่ง กัลยาณมิตร; , also known as Poei ( th, เปย) or Big Poei ( th, บิ๊กเปย), born 8 July 1948 in Lampang, Thailand) is a retired officer of the Royal Thai A ...

. A poem inscribed in the temple reads: Wat Kalayanamitr Varamahavihara is one of three family temples of the Kalayanamitr family, along with

Wat Rakhang Wat Rakhangkhositaram Woramahaviharn ( th, วัดระฆังโฆสิตาราม วรมหาวิหาร) or usually shortened to Wat Rakhangkhositaram (วัดระฆังโฆสิตาราม), familiarly known ...

and Wat Chakkrawatdirachawat Woramahawihan. The family name Kalayanamitr derives from a poem inscribed in the temple. 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 ...

, stands out on the riverbank. It houses a huge Buddha image, Phra Buddha Trai Rattananayok (พระพุทธไตรรัตนนายก), or Luang Pho To (หลวงพ่อโต, Big Buddha) in Thai, known among the ethnic Chinese as Sampokong (ซำปอกง; zh, 三寶公). It is the largest Buddha image in Bangkok, in the same style as the Big Buddha at

Wat Phanan Choeng Wat Phanan Choeng ( th, วัดพนัญเชิงpronunciation is a Buddhist temple in the city of Ayutthaya, Thailand, on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River at the south-eastern side of the confluence of the Chao Phraya and Pa ...

in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Therefore making the ordination hall of this temple very large and clearly visible from the river. Both Buddha images are regarded as representatives of both

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

and

Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferred ...

. Thais and Thais of Chinese descent hold fast to the belief that paying respect to the image brings prosperity and fortune, as well as safe journeys throughout the year.

Gallery

File:Bangkok wat kanlayanimitr 003.jpg, Phra Buddha Trai Rattananayok, also called Sampokong according to

Teochew dialect Teochew or Chaozhou (, , , Teochew endonym: , Shantou dialect: ) is a dialect of Chaoshan Min, a Southern Min language, that is spoken by the Teochew people in the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong and by their diaspora around the world. I ...

File:พระวิหารหลวง วัดกัลยาณมิตร.JPG, View of the ordination hall from the Phra Nakhon side File:Bangkok wat kanlayanimitr 001.jpg, The ordination hall

References

Kalayamitr Thon Buri district Kalayamitr 1820s in Siam Thai Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River {{Bangkok-stub