First published at 14:06 UTC on March 20th, 2023.
Wat Ratchapradit
Wat Ratchapradit Sathit Mahasimaram Ratcha Wora Maha Viharn วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร (the full name) is a Buddhist temple in the Phra Nakhon District of Bangkok. Wat Ratchaparadit was designated a first class royal mon…
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Wat Ratchapradit
Wat Ratchapradit Sathit Mahasimaram Ratcha Wora Maha Viharn วัดราชประดิษฐสถิตมหาสีมารามราชวรวิหาร (the full name) is a Buddhist temple in the Phra Nakhon District of Bangkok. Wat Ratchaparadit was designated a first class royal monastery in 1915, making it one of the most significant temples in Thailand.
The temple is located near the Grand Palace, its main entrance is on Saranrom Road. Wat Ratchabopit is located diagonally across the Khlong Khu Mueang Derm (also Khlong Lot) on Rattanakosin Island.
The land on which the temple now stands was formerly designated by King Nangklao (Rama III) as a coffee plantation. However, after his death, his successor King Mongkut (Rama IV) decided to build a temple on the land instead.
According to King Mongkut the three principal temples in the old capital city of Ayutthaya were; Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Rachapradit. Since the establishment of Bangkok as the capital city in 1782, only two temples with those names were built; Wat Mahathat and Wat Ratchaburana. The king was determined therefore to build a temple with the name Wat Rachapradit for the people of Bangkok.
The king encountered a problem when he found the land too soft, being next to a canal. To solve this problem the king decide to host a public performance of Thai traditional dance on the site. The cost of admission being an empty garlic jar per. These garlic jars were then collected and used by the king's workmen as the foundation of the main ordination hall of the temple.
Construction began in 1864 and was completed seven months later. The temple's full name as given by the king was Wat Ratchapradit Sathit Mahasimaram. As the temple's first abbot, the king appointed Sa Pussadeva, a monk from Wat Bowonniwet Vihara. A member of the Dhammayuttika sect, the abbot made Wat Rachapradit the sect's first temple. In 1893 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) would make the abbot Supreme Patriarch.
The main structure is the Phra Viharn Luang พระวิห..
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