Wat Suthat Thepwararam Ratchaworamahawihan

Wat Suthat Thepwararam Ratchaworamahawihan, วัดสุทัศนเทพวรารามราชวรมหาวิหาร, is a first-class royal temple of the Ratchaworamahawihan rank in Phra Nakhon. It was begun as a principal vihara of the early Rattanakosin city, and the Giant Swing stands in front of the temple. That swing was once used in a royal Brahmin ceremony that is no longer held.

The ordination hall is one of the largest in Thailand, more than 70 metres long. It enshrines Phra Si Sakyamuni, a large bronze Buddha in the Sukhothai style. Traiphum murals in the main chapel lay out the Buddhist cosmos.

The temple museum keeps relics, inscriptions, monastic objects, and historical documents.

The address is listed three ways, and they don’t match. One is 146 Bamrung Mueang Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. Another is 146 Bamrung Mueang Road, Wat Ratchabophit, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200. The third is Bamrung Mueang Road in Sao Chingcha Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon District, with no house number.

Daily opening is listed as both 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and 08:30 to 16:00, and the two times don’t match. With the longer hours, admission is 100 baht for a foreign adult and 100 baht for a foreign child, and nothing is said about what a Thai visitor pays. With the shorter hours, Thai nationals enter free and a foreign visitor pays 100 baht, and nothing is said about a child’s ticket.

The Supreme Patriarch’s Residence Museum is a separate charge: 50 baht for Thai citizens and 200 baht for foreign visitors. It is open Friday to Sunday from 09:30 to 16:30.

Cover your shoulders and knees. Sleeveless shirts and shorts are not the right dress, and shade inside the grounds is limited. Shoes come off in the usual way, so a cloth bag helps.

Be careful of people posing as guides, or asking for donations that were not requested.

Photo: Suicasmo, 2024, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.