Wat Yannawa (), commonly known in English as "the boat temple", is a

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 repres ...

( Wat) in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in 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 estimated populati ...

Charoen Krung Road Shophouses along Charoen Krung road with the Sathorn Unique Tower in the vicinity (2021) Charoen Krung Road ( th, ถนนเจริญกรุง, ) is a major road in Bangkok and the first in Thailand to be built using modern construction ...

Sathon district Sathon or Sathorn ( th, สาทร, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. The district is bounded by six other districts (from north clockwise): Bang Rak, Pathum Wan, Khlong Toei, Yan Nawa, Bang Kho Laem, and Khlo ...

. The temple has a long history from the Ayutthaya era to the present. During the rule of

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 u ...

, a viharn was built in the shape of a

Chinese junk A junk (Chinese: 船, ''chuán'') is a type of Chinese sailing ship with fully battened sails. There are two types of junk in China: northern junk, which developed from Chinese river boats, and southern junk, which developed from Austronesian ...

, giving the temple the nickname "the boat temple". This construction inside the temple houses a space where people pray; a nearby

ubosot 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 ...

enshrines Buddha images and illustrations of th
Loi Prathip Royal Lantern Festival
(). Additional exterior buildings enshrine a Buddha relic from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and the

Goddess of Mercy Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

History

The temple was built during the

Ayutthaya Kingdom 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 consi ...

, before the founding of Bangkok. It was originally called Wat Kok Khwai () because the community of Dawei people in the area bought and sold buffalo; later, it was renamed as Wat Kok Krabue (). During the reigh of King Rama I, the temple gained royal status and the

was built. During the reign of

, a viharn was built in the shape of a

. The temple was renamed as Wat Yannawa, which translates as "the boat temple". The two chedis on the deck represent masts and the altar at the back represents the wheelhouse. Because of this unique structure, locals call the temple “''sampao chedi''” ("the Chinese junk with chedis"). King Rama III chose the shape of a junk as a means of historical preservation; he believed the junk was becoming obsolete due to new ship types, and wanted to preserve its image.

Gallery

File:Wat Yan Nawa.jpg, One of the minor chedis on the junk File:Wat Yannawa.jpg, Wat Yannawa before a major renovation File:Wat Yannawa (8415891607).jpg, Wat Yannawa museum building File:พระพุทธรูปปางลีลา วัดยานนาวา.jpg, Walking Buddha statue File:พระบรมราชานุสาวรีย์ พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว รัชกาลที่ ๓ Statue of King Rama III.jpg,

sculpture standing in front of a chedi File:พระเจดีย์บนเรือสำเภา วัดยานนาวา.jpg, Another minor chedi on the junk, decorated with flags

Interior

The "stern" of the ship enshrines four

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a 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 born in L ...

statues and replica footprints, including Thai and Chinese inscriptions. The larger chedi has 20 wooden recesses, while the smaller one has 16. There is also a room dedicated to

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

, which some believe to come from Buddha. The ubosot enshrines the principle of subduing Mara Buddha image and includes other buddha images. Interestingly, on the doors and windows are painted images of a ''yaku jar'' (), a jar used for offerings in a royal ceremony. On the upper part of the door and back of the room is drawn a big Krathong () in the style of used in the Loi Prathip Royal Lantern Festival (). This kind of picture, at this size, is rare in Thailand.

Exterior

Wat_Yannawa_-_037_Relic_Containers_(12129861104)

Three statues of the

are enshrined in a separate, Chinese-style temple, and a building enshrines a Buddha relic from

Wanglee community

The land for Wat Yannawa was donated by the Wanglee family, one of Bangkok's five big Thai business families of Chinese descent. Wat Yannawa became the owner and leases the buildings to the occupants, but some descendants of the original tenants still live there. The Wanglee family have lived in Bangkok since

King Rama V Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

(1868–1910). In 2469, the Wanglee family built a row of houses based on the designs of a

French architect The following is a chronological list of French architects. Some of their major architectural works are listed after each name. Middle Ages Étienne de Bonneuil (late 13th century) * Uppsala Cathedral, Sweden Jean de Chelles (13th century ...

. These old two-story shophouses are located in Soi Charoen Krung 52 (or Soi Wanglee) near 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. ...

, just south of the Taksin Bridge station. Wanglee_House_2015-02

Just beyond the old houses used to be the river pier where mid-19th century

Chinese immigrants Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, ...

disembarked after their long and hazardous sea journeys. Most of Bangkok's Thai–Chinese community is of Teochew descent, a dialect group originating in

Swatow Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative ...

(Shantou) on the eastern coast of

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. The Wanglee estate served as a home for the extended family, a private river port to service the family's trading interests, and had extensive ''godown'' (warehouse facilities) with associated offices. Included is a shrine to

Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. ...

, a Chinese goddess of the sea and maritime activity, fitting for a family whose wealth depended so much on sea trade. The center of the family's business activities has since shifted to Bangkok's modern business district, but the compound remains in family hands. After renovations, the family generously opened the compound in 2017 to the public. It is now known as

Lhong 1919 Lhong 1919 ( th, ล้ง 1919; zh, 廊 1919) is a tourist attraction on the west bank of Chao Phraya River on Bangkok's Thonburi side. Its concept is similar to that of the Asiatique The Riverfront on the Phra Nakhon side. It is at the bottom ...

. Facilities include cafes, boutique shops, and art galleries, but most importantly, the compound now hosts regular cultural events, theatrical performances, and exhibitions. This area has not been taken over for another high-rise

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

or hotel project. This preserves an important part of Bangkok's commercial history and Chinese immigration heritage. In this regard, Lhong 1919 is an important heritage site not just for Thailand but for all of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

, showcasing how local Chinese commercial minorities made such an important contribution in terms of

economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

development and

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

al commercial integration.

Location and visiting

Wat Yannawa is located at 40 Charoenkrung Rd., Yannawa, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120. Wat Yannawa can be seen from the

. The easiest way to go there is taking

BTS Skytrain The Bangkok Mass Transit System, commonly known as the BTS Skytrain ( th, รถไฟฟ้าบีทีเอส '' TS'), is an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System PCL (BTSC), a ...

to Saphan Taksin then taking Exit 4; or, taking the orange, yellow, or green line of the Chao Phraya River Express boat and getting off at

Sathorn pier Sathorn Pier ( th, ท่าสาทร), with designated pier code/number CEN, is a major pier on the Chao Phraya River located beneath the Taksin Bridge, Sathorn Road in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the main pier for the Chao Phraya Express Boa ...

and walking a bit to temple. Possible bus routes include 1, 15, 17, 35, 75, 163, 504, 544, and 547. The temple gate is open from 8am until 6pm. There is no admission for entry.

Contact

Facebook: วัดยานนาวา พระอารามหลวง Wat Suthiwararam ( Thai: วัดสุทธิวราราม)
Wat Borom Sathon Sri Sutthi Sophon Rangsan
( Thaibr>วัดบรมสถลศรีสุทธิโสภณรังสรรค์

Wat Don
( Thaibr>วัดดอน

References

{{- Yan Nawa Sathon district 19th-century Buddhist temples 19th century in Siam Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River