Wat Traimit Witthayaram Worawihan () is a Theravada

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

(

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

Samphanthawong district Samphanthawong (, )) is one of the Districts of Bangkok, 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Regarded as Bangkok's Chinatown, it is the smallest district by area in Thailand. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Pom Prap Sattru ...

, the

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 ...

area of the Thai capital

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 ...

. Probably dating to the early Rattanakosin period, it was previously known as Wat Sam Chin () and received its current name in 1940. Today, the temple is best known for the golden Buddha statue enshrined there. It also houses the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Center.

History

Wat Traimit was previously known as Wat Sam Chin or Wat Sam Chin Tai (, 'south temple of the three Chinese'). According to oral histories, the temple was founded by three Chinese friends, hence its name. The temple was probably originally built around 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. ...

(1824–1851), but was mostly rebuilt in the 1930s–1940s. It was renamed to Wat Traimit Witthayaram (''traimit'' meaning 'three friends') on 3 February 1940, and became a royal temple of the second class in 1956. A plaster Buddha statue had been moved to the temple from the abandoned Wat Phraya Krai in 1935. In 1955, during a ceremony to move statue to the newly built ''vihara'' building, it was accidentally dropped, cracking the plaster and revealing a gold statue hidden beneath. The statue, officially named Phra Phutthamahasuwannapatimakon since 1992, is now housed in the

Mondop The ''mondop'' (, from Pali/Sanskrit ) is a building form in traditional Thai religious architecture featuring a square or cruciform building with a usually pointed roof. In the narrow sense, it refers to an enclosed square building with a roughly ...

building, built in 2007.

Architecture

Wat Traimit is a notable example of early post-absolute monarchy Thai Buddhist temple architecture. The monks' residences were built in 1937, and the ''

ubosot The ordination hall (Pali: ''sīmā'') is a Buddhist building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual (''upasampadā'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Pāṭimokkha. ...

'' (ordination hall) was built in 1947 in the applied Thai style to designs by Luang Wisansinlapakam. The ''ubosot'' and monks' quarter 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 2011. The Mondop building, designed by , houses the golden Buddha statue on its top floor, and two museums in its lower floors: one dedicated to the statue, and the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Center, which depicts the history of the area's Chinese immigrants.

Gallery

File:2016 Bangkok, Dystrykt Samphanthawong, Wat Traimit Witthayaram (10).jpg, The ''ubosot'' File:Bakkwattraimit090505b.jpg, Phra Maha Mondop File:Wat Trimitr-013.jpg, The golden Buddha statue

References

{{coord, 13, 44, 17, N, 100, 30, 49, E, type:landmark, display=title Buddhist temples in Bangkok Samphanthawong district