Kian Un Keng Shrine or spelled Kuan An Keng Shrine (; zh, 建安宮;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: ''Jiàn'ān gōng''), known internationally as Guanyin Shrine (ศาลเจ้าแม่กวนอิม), is an ancient Chinese joss house in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, 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 estim ...

, located on the western bank of

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River 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. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

Wat Kanlaya Subdistrict Wat Kanlaya (, ) is a ''khwaeng'' (sub-district) of Thon Buri District, Bangkok's Thonburi side, regarded as the northeast area of the district adjacent to the Chao Phraya River's west side. History and presently Its name after Wat Kanlayanami ...

Thon Buri District Thon Buri (, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. On the west bank of Chao Phraya River, it was once part of Thon Buri province. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Bangkok Yai, Phra Nakhon (across Chao P ...

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi () is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ref ...

side in the area of

Kudi Chin 250px, Santa Cruz Church and Kudi Chin community as seen from opposite side ( Pak Khlong Talat) Kudi Chin (, ) or Kadi Chin (, ), also spelled "Kudee Jeen", etc. is a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok. It is in Wat Kanlaya Sub-district, Thon Bur ...

community close to other

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is so ...

including

Wat Prayurawongsawat Wat Prayurawongsawat Worawihan, known in short as Wat Prayun is a 19th century wat, Buddhist temple complex, located near the Memorial Bridge, Bangkok, Memorial Bridge (Thonburi side) in Bangkok, Thailand. History The temple was built during th ...

Wat Kalayanamitr Wat Kalayanamitr Varamahavihara (, , ) is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is located in Wat Kanlaya sub-district, on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya River. The temple was established in 1825 by Chaophraya Nikonbod ...

and Santa Cruz Church with

Bang Luang Mosque Bang Luang Mosque () is a historic mosque, located in Soi Arun Amarin 7, New Arun Amarin Road, Wat Kanlaya Subdistrict, Thon Buri District, of Bangkok. The mosque is situated on the Thonburi side within Kudi Khao Community by the Khlong Bangkok Ya ...

. This shrine is a

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

temple. It's one of the oldest shrines in Thonburi and Thailand by King

Taksin King Taksin the Great (, , ) or the King of Thonburi (, ; ; Teochew: Dên Chao; 17 April 1734 – 7 April 1782) was the only king of the Thonburi Kingdom that ruled Thailand from 1767 to 1782. He had been an aristocrat in the Ayutthaya Kingdom ...

and brought the Goddess

Guanyin Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

statue to be enshrined here. The Guanyin

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

is different from other shrines because mostly the Guanyin in other shrines are in standing position, but here the Guanyin is in sitting position. The Guanyin statue is made of wood carved and coated with gold. There are also murals and paintings of the classical novel Romance of Three Kingdoms, including dolls decorated on the wall decorations for visiting and worshipping. 250px, left, Principal Guanyin statue The artist Fua Haripitak praised the artistic values of both painting and wood carving objects here. He decided that the door keepers paintings are showcases of different artists. Even the door, each side of it was created by different artisans. Both of them are famous at that time. Its name is assumed to be the origin of the name Kudi Chin, which means "Chinese monk's dwelling". Originally, the shrine was divided into two shrines, Lord Guan and Chor Su Kong shrines. Later, both were in disrepair during the reign of King Taksin. During the reign of 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. ...

, the Hokkienese therefore demolished both shrines and rebuilt with Chinese courtyard architecture along with brought the Guanyin statue enshrined instead since then. Its name meaning ''"building that create peace and tranquility for the Hokkienese"''. It is currently under the care of Simasatian (or Shēn, 沈) and Tantiwetchakun (or Chen, 陳) families, which are their offspring. The shrine received the

ASA Architectural Conservation Award The Architectural Conservation Award () is given by the in recognition of architectural conservation efforts by both the public and private sectors in Thailand. The awards, first given in 1982 and held annually since 2004, are presented to multipl ...

in 2008. Moreover, during the annually

Vegetarian Festival The Nine Emperor Gods Festival (; ; ) or Vegetarian Festival or Jay Festival is a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, celebrated primarily in Southeast Asian countries such as Malays ...

this shrine will have a special event unlike other shrines. That is a ceremony similar to

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 ...

in order change one's bad fortune for the people who make merit here. Including a boat trip to visit another shrine on opposite side of the river, Chó-su-kong Shrine in

Talat Noi Talat Noi or Talad Noi (, ) is a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok. It roughly occupies the area of the subdistrict of the same name in Samphanthawong District. Located on the periphery of Bangkok's Chinatown, Talat Noi has been home to various e ...

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

References

{{Authority control category:Guanyin temples category:Buildings and structures in Bangkok category:Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River Religious buildings and structures in Bangkok Thon Buri district Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok Chinese shrines in Thailand

See also

References