Bangkok: Temples, Art and History
Accommodation in Bangkok
Bangkok offers a range of options for a culture-focused trip, including temple architecture, religious art, murals and historic inscriptions. Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Wat Saket and Wat Trai Mit each showcase these themes through their own materials and motifs. If you are looking for a hotel in Bangkok, you can use the cultural sites as a guide to the interests you want to pursue on your trip. Their architectural and historical differences offer a concrete impression of the city’s varied cultural themes.
Wat Arun: Stupas and Figures
The stupas at Wat Arun Ratchawararam are made of white bricks and decorated with shells, porcelain and Benjarong tableware. Most of the tableware comes from China. Sculptures around the temple depict kinnari, giants, angels and Garudas. Both the decorative materials and the figures shape the appearance of the temple complex. Wat Arun is an ancient temple dating from the Ayutthaya period and is regarded as the royal temple of King Rama II. In Bangkok, it stands on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, at 34 Arun Amarin Road in Bangkok Yai District.
Wat Pho: Mother-of-Pearl, Murals and Inscriptions
Wat Pho, officially Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan, is a first-class royal monastery associated with the reign of King Rama I. It is located near the Grand Palace. In the Hall of the Reclining Buddha, the eyes and feet are engraved with mother-of-pearl; the temple grounds also feature old Thai cultural murals. A group of four large pagodas is called “Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakarn.” It is surrounded by a white wall with covered gates in the Thai-Chinese style.
The Temple of the Bodhi Tree houses an epigraphic archive containing 1,440 stone inscriptions in the Thai language and script. The inscriptions were created between 1831 and 1841. Alongside the decorative features, they provide written records from a clearly defined historical period. Murals, mother-of-pearl work, pagodas and inscriptions show different facets of Wat Pho’s cultural heritage.
Comparing Wat Saket and Wat Trai Mit
Wat Saket Ratchaworamahawihan can be distinguished by several specific features: its spiral staircase has 344 steps, and its murals depict subjects including heaven, earth and hell. Buddha relics are kept at the summit of Phu Khao Thong. Wat Saket thus brings together stairway architecture, imagery and relics. By contrast, the focus at Wat Trai Mit Witthayaram Worawihan is a description of a seated Buddha statue: it is made of solid gold, designed in the Sukhothai style and called Phra Phuttha Maha Suwana Patimakon. The comparison moves from murals and relics to a named depiction of the Buddha.
The Grand Palace, Art and Transport in Bangkok
The Grand Palace was built after the capital was moved in 1782; its grounds cover 218,000 square meters. The palace comprises residential halls, throne halls and administrative buildings, as well as a temple that serves as a royal chapel. This is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, also known as Wat Phra Kaew; the Emerald Buddha is located there. Wat Pho is near the Grand Palace, while the chapel is part of the palace grounds.
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre is a public venue for art and culture. Its third-floor entrance is connected to the National Stadium BTS station. Chatuchak Weekend Market is served by Mo Chit BTS station and Chatuchak Park MRT station. The BTS Skytrain system consists of two lines, is about 68.5 kilometers long and has a total of 60 stations. It runs through the provinces of Pathum Thani, Bangkok and Samut Prakan. Transport connections may change; check the current route before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Saphan Thai, Bang Pahan, Ban Pho, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Lat Bua Luang, Bang Krasun, Rong Chang, Ka Thum.
For the main travel overview: Ayutthaya.
