Wat Ratchapradit Bangkok

"Ratchapradit Sathitmahasimaram Temple was built in 1864 His intention is that this temple shall be one of the three main monasteries of the city according to the tradition since Sukhothai period, namely Wat Mahathat, Wat Raja Burana and Wat Ratchapradit Sathan.
His Majesty King Mongkut originally named the temple as "Rajapradit Sathitdhammayuttikaram Temple”, (The Temple of the Dhammayut Order) specifically dedicated the land especially to Dhammayut monks. His will manifested in the royal edict, the marble slab behind the Buddha’s hall, and the poems engraved on the monastery-zone marker pillars. After that the name was changed to "Wat Ratchapradit Sathitmahasimaram”, (the Temple with the Great Monastery Zone Markers). Since there was no chapel in this temple, they used the zone marker pillars around the temple, both the Buddha’s and the Sangha’s zones, to indicate the boundary that the ceremony can be performed.
In 1665, His Majesty King Mongkut invited Phra Sāsanasobhaṇa (Sa Pussadeva), the to-be 9th supreme Patriarch of Thailand to be the first abbot. He was King Rama IV student and one of the ten first monks in the Dhammayut Order.

His Majesty King Mongkut paid great attention in decorating the temple with fine arts. He demanded that the carving on the door and windows emulated that of Wat Suthat, the inside window carved in the Japanese style of Wat Nang Chee, on top of every door and window having an emblem of the crown, the king’s sigil, and the stars on the ceiling inspired by that of Wat Rajapraditsathan and Wat Suwan Dararam of Ayutthaya. Furthermore, there are paintings of deity groups roaming freely over the sky, the mural of royal ceremonies in 12 months which were painted in the reign of King Rama V with the background of the previous reign in order to reflect the prosperity under the rule of King Rama IV. Inside the temple is the famous Buddha image, Phra Sihanga Patimakorn, under which is where the royal ashes of King Mongkut were placed.
There are a large number of His Majesty King Mongkut’s relevant edifices and antiquities in Wat Ratchapradit such as the royal temple which illustrates The Great Crown of Victory on the gable, the crown-topped pulpit as Rama IV’s sigil.

Pāsāna Cetiya (the marble pagoda) is a Sri Lankan style pagoda, inspired by the detail in the commentary of Mahāparinibbāna Sutta that the Emperor Ashoka had built the rock-pagoda
Prasat Phra Boromarup and Prasat Phra Trai Pidok are the Khmer-styled buildings, inside of which are the statue of King Rama IV and 150 years-old palm-leaf manuscripts of the Pali Canon in the book-shaped wooden boxes respectively. Originally, these buildings were constructed in the reign of King Rama V with marbles with the four-faced god, Brahman, on the top, then they were rebuilt in the reign of King Rama VI."

Ade Ho

"Will need to revisit this temple.
Closed for mother's day. The custodians on duty cleaning for the day but the temple doors themselves closed.
Small site but with great detail and some banners posted on the outside about the history of the temple - only in Thai."

B. F. G.

"In scale of Bangkok, Wat Ratchapradit Sathit Maha Simaram is a small, even a tiny temple. The temple is located beside Saranrom Park, and it is, of course, very beautiful, and historic, too. For a regular visitor there are numerous details to wonder, and - during our visit closed - the Viharn is amazing, even exceptional... one can just marvel what there is inside that fabulous building. As said, the temple is very beautiful but doesn't maybe belong to those for an ordinary tourist "must see" temples."

Hannu Toivanen