WAT BENCHAMABOPHIT

Description

Essentials about Wat Benchamabophit in brief

Those who have taken a closer look at the 5-baht coin will recognize this temple. Wat Benchamabophit (Temple of the Fifth King) is commonly known as the “Marble Temple”, because it is built of the most beautiful Italian Carrara marble. The Marble Temple is located in the Dusit district, south of Dusit Palace and Dusit Zoo. Due to the strong competition from the many other famous temples, Wat Benchamabophit is one of the rather less noticed temples of Bangkok. However, this is completely unjustified, because it is certainly one of the most beautiful in all of Thailand.

The monks of Wat Benchamabophit

A visit to Wat Benchamabophit is also interesting because it is still an active Buddhist temple. The living area of the monks is separated from the rest of the temple grounds by a canal. However, the monks can be seen between 5 and 6 a.m., when they gather in front of the temple to beg for breakfast. Since the religious men have vowed to live in poverty, they depend on the willingness of their fellow men to donate. And this is naturally very pronounced among devout Buddhists. Every morning, donors come to fill the begging bowls of the monks with rice, curries and other food.

The history of Wat Benchamabophit

Historically, Wat Benchamabophit goes back to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who in 1898 had the idea to build a new royal palace (Dusit Palace) with a spacious garden in front of the city to spend his weekends. He had an area bought up between the Samsen and Phadung Krung Kasem canals, which at that time consisted only of rice fields and orchards. Two old dilapidated and abandoned temples were located on this site. The king decided to rebuild Wat Benchabophit, which was located on the southern edge of the garden grounds, much larger as a replacement for the two old temples.

Construction of the new temple was not yet completed when King Chulalongkorn died in 1910. His ashes were buried by his son King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) – as he had wished – in the marble pedestal of Phra Phutthachinnarat, the main Buddha statue of the temple.

The buildings of Wat Benchamabophit

On the grounds of Wat Benchamabophit there are a number of buildings worth seeing:

The Uposatha Hall

The Uposatha Hall (ubosot) is a building with a cruciform ground plan. The roof is staggered in three tiers and covered with rows of golden yellow glazed Chinese tiles. The last tile of each row at the eaves represents a celestial angel offering the traditional Thai obeisance Wai to the viewer with joined hands. The whole building is covered with white Italian Carrara marble on the outside, hence the temple got the nickname “Marble Temple”. The pediment of the eastern porch is supported by four marble columns, and at the entrance there are two marble lion statues. The four pediments are decorated with the symbols of the Chakri kings and Buddhism.

The entrance doors are decorated on the outside with reliefs of devas (demigods) made of chased copper, and inside on the doors similar deities are painted in gold on black lacquer. The shutters are decorated on the outside with demonic guardian figures also made of copper, and on the inside with the same figures painted in black and gold lacquer technique. In 1954, the upper half of the windows was replaced with stained glass windows with Thai motifs.

Phra Phutthachinnarat

Phra Phutthachinnarat is the main Buddha statue in the ubosot. It is a copy of the statue of the same name at Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat in Phitsanulok. The Buddha, cast in bronze, sits in the so-called Indian or heroic pose (virasana) with his right leg over his left. His left hand rests in his lap, palm up. His right hand is on his right knee, fingers pointing down. This hand posture called Bhumisparsa Mudra (touching the Earth) symbolizes the defeat of the demon Mara, during which the Buddha invoked the earth as a witness for his path.

The Ambulatory

The ambulatory (Phra Rabiang) surrounds a courtyard lined with square marble slabs, the eastern side of which is formed by the ubosot. The ambulatory, also laid out with marble slabs, with the corner pavilions corresponds to those of the Uposatha Hall. It also has a three-tiered roof covered with golden yellow tiles. King Chulalongkorn had decided to place in the galleries of the ambulatory the best stone and bronze Buddha statues that could be found anywhere in the country, in order to present a complete iconography. He entrusted this task to Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, who had spent years collecting fifty different statues.

A complicating factor, however, was that all the statues had to meet three conditions: They had to be both of artistic value and different, and they all had to be the same size. Thus, statues were first sought throughout the country, and then abroad, and brought to the temple. However, if a statue was too small or too large, a copy was made in the required size. The last Buddha could be erected in the year of King Chulalongkorn’s death.

The Bodhi Tree

The Bodhi tree (a poplar fig) stands to the east of the ambulatory. Prince Damrong Rajanubhab had arrived in Bodhgaya in 1891 on pilgrimage through India, where the governor of Gaya presented him with three offshoots of the Bodhi tree there as a gift for the Thai king. These were first planted at the royal summer palace on Koh Sichang in Chonburi province on his return to Thailand. After a few years, they had flourished so well that King Chulalongkorn was able to replant one of the offshoots at Wat Benchamabophit in 1900. This can still be visited here after more than 100 years.

The Canal

The canal with three bridges was excavated in 1900. It serves to separate Phutthawat and Sangkhawat, the “sacred area” and the residential area of the monks. Trees were planted along the canal and twelve Chinese stone sculptures were erected. Water pavilions stand on the banks. Three small bridges of similar design with ornate lace-like lattices of red painted cast iron cross the canal.

The Song Phanuat Hall and the Bowowong Bell Tower

And last but not least, there are two more structures to see on the grounds of Wat Benchamabophit. Song Phanuat Hall, which originally stood in the royal palace. It served King Chulalongkorn as accommodation during his time as a bhikkhu (Buddhist monk). It was rebuilt here at Wat Benchamabophit and is now the abbot’s kuti (cell). And the base of the Bowowong Bell Tower, which is covered with marble slabs.