My toe was still hurting so we decided to make our first outing in Bangkok an easier one. We searched Google Maps to check out potential locations of interest near our Airbnb and found Wat Wachiratham Sathit Worawihan (quite the mouthful- give it a try!) Though on that note, the true name may be Wat Vachira Dhammasatit. I am sticking to the former, as it’s the name on Google Maps.
Just A Short Walk Down The Road
The temple / monastery / possibly also a hospital (at least according to a Facebook page of the latter name) was only about a quarter mile away and pretty much straight down the road.
Our expectations of Wat Wachiratham Sathit Worawihan were that it would be a small place we would look at for a few minutes before heading to the mall and hopefully catching a movie. What we found far exceeded these expectations.
Intricate Gold All Around
Not unlike our experience with the Thai temple, Wat Chetawan in Kuala Lumpur, we were immediately blown away by the colors (gold!) and details of the buildings and structures. We weren’t yet used to this ornate style.
Large Complex With Plenty To Show
The grounds were also far larger than we anticipated. I could not definitively give the purpose of each building there, but some of the typical buildings and structures found at Buddhist wat include: a temple (chedi, typically has a bell-shape), drum and bell towers, a study hall, a library, a holy prayer room (bot, usually found with 8 cornerstones), a relaxation area (sala), a vihear (meeting/prayer room), and a mondop (a place to worship).
Wat Wachiratham History
Here is the only text we found about the wat, which Kyle discovered on a plaque on our second visit. I have copied it for you as it will be easier to read this way (rather than my photo of the sign):
“ Wat Vachira Dhammasatit used to be called “Wat Tung Satit.” The temple is the center for the people who live in the Pra Kanong area for a long time. It was told that a Laotian Baron; Wandi who moved from Vientiane, built the temple on September 9, 1965. King Bhumibol Adulyadej was kind to let Prince Vajiralongkorn accept the temple under patronage. The temple level was raised to be a royal temple and named “Wat Vachira Dhammasatit.” This temple has a beautiful Ubosot (main chapel) and Chulamansrilanna Stupa, a duplicate of the Hariphunchaistupa in Lamphun Province. In the Stupa there are 25 units of Lord Buddha relics 289 units of Buddhist Sain Relics and two gold Buddha images. ”
Lovely Cows
As we headed along one edge of the complex, we came across an area with cows. Nearby, we saw a few monks sitting in a row together behind a table. It looked like they were surfing the internet on their cell phones. But hey, we saw a monk taking a selfie with his iPhone in Malaysia and saw them checking out tourist sites in Vietnam. Our time in Asia has given us a different impression of monks. One of the monks smiled at Kyle when he saw him petting a cow.
Another tried to talk to us (unfortunately there was a language barrier) on our second visit to the temple when we were petting a stray cat.
We also came across some nice dogs running around.
As we headed around the complex we found an area with more plants and eventually, a koi pond with a few turtles in it. Behind everything, it looked like there was a school.
The “temple” (because I don’t know the name of the building) near the coi pond was my favorite. Though I doubt the temple is very old, it had a sort of ancient and majestic appearance.
In addition to the aesthetics of the wat, I really enjoyed the sensory aspects as well: the smell of cows and hay bales which made me think of fall, the sound of pigeons.
One thing that I think may have contributed further to our very positive experience was the lack of other visitors, or even people aside from the monks. At one point on our first visit we saw a Thai boy with his father feeding the cows but no one else. This allowed us to really take in and admire the area.
Worth Multiple Visits
On our second visit, which was later in the evening as opposed to mid-day, there were more people looming around, but the temple is not really a tourist spot, most likely because it’s not very accessible by public transportation and there are many other far more famous temples in Bangkok. We can find very little information about the wat and probably would not have ever come across it had we not been nearby and searched the maps.
~B~