Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram
Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram, called the Marble Temple, is in Dusit District on Si Ayutthaya Road, Dusit Subdistrict, Bangkok. It was built in 1900 under a commission of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), using imported Italian marble with a traditional Thai four-gabled (chaturamuk) ordination hall, and it was dedicated to his maternal royal line. The temple website is named as watbencha.com.
The ubosot is clad in white marble inside and out, with a red roof, and it enshrines a replica of Phra Buddha Chinnarat in the Maravijaya posture. Fifty-two Buddha images stand along the cloister, in Sukhothai, Lopburi, Lanna, Khmer, Burmese, and Chinese styles. The buildings include ironwork and wood carvings of Buddhist stories.
Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 08:00 to 17:00, and Sunday and public holidays 10:00 to 17:00. Thai nationals enter free, and foreign visitors pay 50 baht. Visitors should not wear sleeveless shirts, shorts, or flip-flops.
Buses 72, 503, 157, and 510 serve the temple, and there is parking beside it. A bicycle approach runs from Phra Nakhon or Sanam Luang along U-Thong Nai Road. The nearest MRT named, Sam Yot, is still quite far, so visitors then need a taxi or a bus.
Photo: Wat Benchamabophit Thailand.jpg by Philip Nalangan, CC BY 4.0 (2006).