Wat Saket Ratchawora Mahawihan (), usually shortened to Wat Saket, is a Buddhist temple (''

wat A wat (, ; , ; , ; ; , ) is a type of Buddhist and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State (Myanmar), Yunnan (China), the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Etymology The word ''wat'' is borrowed from the Sanskrit ''v ...

'') in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Bangkok, Thailand. The temple dates back to the Ayutthaya era, when it was known as Wat Sakae (วัดสะแก). When Bangkok became the capital, King

Rama I Phutthayotfa Chulalok (born Thongduang; 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), also known by his regnal name Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (now Thailand) and the first King of Siam from the reigning Chakri dynasty. He asc ...

(1737–1809) renovated the temple and gave it its present name (which roughly translates as "wash hair"); it was believed that on his return from the war, the king stopped to take a bath and wash his hair here, before entering the

inner city The term inner city (also called the hood) has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Soc ...

Phu Khao Thong

''Phu Khao Thong'' (“Golden Mountain”, ) is a steep artificial hill inside the Wat Saket compound. Rama I's grandson, King

Rama III Nangklao (born Thap; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), also known by his regnal name Rama III, was the third king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 21 July 1824 to 2 April 1851. Nangklao was the eldest surviving son of King Rama II. ...

(1788–1851), decided to build a chedi of huge dimensions inside Wat Saket, but the chedi collapsed during construction because the soft soil of Bangkok could not support the weight. Over the next few decades, the abandoned mud-and-brick structure acquired the shape of a natural hill and was overgrown with weeds. The locals called it the ''phu khao'' (ภูเขา, 'mountain'), as if it was a natural feature. During that time, it also functioned as a lookout tower for soldiers concerned about the arrival of enemy armies. During the reign of King

Rama IV Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868. The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization initiatives and diplomat ...

, construction began of a small chedi on the hill. It was completed early in the reign of his son, King

Rama V Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his ...

(1853–1910) and sanctified by being covered in a layer of gold. A relic of the Buddha was brought from Sri Lanka by Prince Pritsadang and placed in the chedi. The surrounding concrete walls were added in the 1940s to stop the hill from eroding. The modern Wat Saket was built in the early 20th century using

Carrara marble Carrara marble, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara ...

. An annual festival is held at Wat Saket every November, featuring a

candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

light procession up Phu Khao Thong to the chedi, which is wrapped in a long red robe (similar to "Hae Pha Khuen That" (แห่ผ้าขึ้นธาตุ) festival of

Wat Phra Mahathat Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan () is the main Buddhism, Buddhist temple (wat) of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in southern Thailand. The main stupa of the temple, Phra Borommathat Chedi ('great noble relics stupa'), was built by King Sri Dhammaso ...

Nakhon Si Thammarat Nakhon Si Thammarat (, ; from ) is a city municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') located in Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat, the capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Nakhon Si Thammarat Province is situated in the South of Thailand. It is about s ...

province in

southern Thailand Southern Thailand (formerly Southern Siam and Tambralinga) is the southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bo ...

. Devotees write their names and the names of family members on the robe and pray, believing that their prayers will be fulfilled. This festival has been observed since the reign of King Rama V. At the same time, a great

Loi Krathong Loy Krathong (, , ) is a Thai festival celebrated annually throughout Kingdom of Thailand, Thailand and in nearby countries with significant Southwestern Tai languages, South Western Tai cultures (Laos, Shan State, Shan, Mon State, Mon, Tanintha ...

festival takes place at the temple, along with

freak show A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "Freak, freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual Human#Anatomy and physiology, humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, t ...

s such as ''

Phi Krasue The ''Krasue'' (, ) is a nocturnal female spirit of Southeast Asian folklore. It manifests as the floating, disembodied head of a woman, usually young and beautiful, with her internal organs still attached and trailing down from the neck. The ...

'' ("floating female ghost head with glowing viscera dangling below", ), ''Dek Song Hua'' ("two-headed child", ), ''Mia Ngu'' ("snake's wife", ), or fun games ''Sao Noi Tok Nam'' ("little girl falling into water", ) etc. This festival is well known to Bangkok residents. The nearby

Fort Mahakan The fortifications of Bangkok consist of several series of defensive structures built to protect the city during the late Ayutthaya to early Rattanakosin periods. The earliest structures were built when Bangkok was an outpost of Ayutthaya guardi ...

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

was a hub of the fireworks industry; however, after the demolition of the fort and removal of its community, fireworks trading has been banned. Phu Khao Thong is now a popular Bangkok tourist attraction and has become a symbol of the city.

Vultures of Wat Saket

In the early Rattanakosin period (between the reigns of Rama I and Rama V), the Siamese had a tradition of not cremating the dead within the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

, because it was believed to be an evil portent. Wat Saket was outside the city walls, so it was often used as a place to cremate dead bodies, which were carried through the

Pratu Phi Samran Rat (, ), popularly known as Pratu Phi (, ), is a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok. The neighbourhood roughly occupies the area of its namesake subdistrict and road junction in Phra Nakhon district. History The name ''Pratu Phi'' means ...

or 'ghost gate'. In 1820, during the reign of King

Rama II Phutthaloetla Naphalai (born Chim; 24 February 1767 or 1768 – 21 July 1824), also known by his regnal name Rama II, was the second King of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 1809 to 1824. In 1809, Itsarasunthon succeeded his father R ...

(1809–1824),

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

spread Spread may refer to: Places * Spread, West Virginia Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Spread'' (film), a 2009 film. * ''$pread'', a quarterly magazine by and for sex workers * "Spread", a song by OutKast from their 2003 album ''Speakerboxxx/T ...

from

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

to Bangkok, leading to more than 30,000 deaths in the capital. Wat Saket became the main receiving ground of many dead bodies that were moved in every day, along with Wat Sangwet in

Banglampoo Bang Lamphu, also spelled Banglampoo or Banglamphu (, ; in the past, it was often misspelled บางลำภู) is a neighbourhood in Bangkok located in Phra Nakhon District. The history of the Bang Lamphu community dates to the establishment ...

and Wat Choeng Lane in

Sampheng Sampheng (, ) is a historic neighbourhood and market in Bangkok's Chinatown, in Samphanthawong District. It was settled during the establishment of Bangkok in 1782 by Teochew Chinese, and eventually grew into the surrounding areas. The original ...

. Due to the large number of deaths, the temple was unable to cremate every dead body; some of the bodies were therefore left in the open area of the monastery, and vultures began coming to devour them. The temple became the main food court for vultures, and there were outbreaks of cholera every dry season until the early reign of King Rama V. The severest outbreak was in 1840 during the reign of King

when one in ten people in Siam and the surrounding areas were killed by the disease. The last spreading of the disease took place in 1881, when many hundreds died each day. The vultures became a grim image and reminder of the deaths, and ''Raeng Wat Saket'' (แร้งวัดสระเกศ, 'vultures of Wat Saket') has become a common saying, often paired with ''Pret Wat Suthat'' (เปรตวัดสุทัศน์, '

preta ''Preta'' (, ''yi dags''), also known as hungry ghost, is the Sanskrit name for a type of supernatural being described in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion as undergoing suffering greater than that of humans, particularly ...

Wat Suthat Wat Suthat Thepwararam (, ) is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a royal temple of the first grade, one of ten such temples in Bangkok (23 in Thailand). Construction was begun by King Rama I in 1807. In the beginning, it was initiall ...

', probably a reference to legends surrounding the wall murals of that temple).

Gallery

File:0000009 - Wat Sraket Rajavaravihara 004.jpg, Wat Saket and

Wat Ratchanatdaram Wat Ratchanatdaram (, ) is a Buddhist temple (wat) located at the intersection between Ratchadamnoen Klang and Maha Chai Road, in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok. Meaning ''Temple of the Royal Niece'', the temple was built to the order of King N ...

, Bangkok File:Old Bangkok canals.gif, Historic photo of Wat Saket and Golden Mount during King Rama V's reign File:Golden mount.jpg, The Golden Mount

References

Sources

External links