Wat Ratchanaddaram
by Nilma Dole
Bangkok for many, would be a
haven of shopping and of course, a raunchy glamour stage but it offers
many for the culturally and historically avid sightseers. From the
Golden Mount temple, the next stop for many would be the Wat
Ratchanaddaram temple which is a royal temple of the third grade.
Wat Ratchanaddaram, also written Wat Rajnadda or Wat Ratchanadda, is
a Buddhist temple located between Ratchadamnoen Klang and Mahachak
Roads, in the Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok.
 The name of the temple means “Royal Niece”, for it was built by King
Rama III (King Nangklao or in full, Prabath Somdej Pra
Paramadhiwarasetha Maha Jessadabodindra Siammintarawirodom
Borommadhammikkarajadhirat Boromanathbopitra Phra Nangklao Chaoyuhua) in
1846, for his niece, the princess Mom Chao Ying Sommanus Wattanavadi.
In case you want a Thai history lesson, the word ‘Wat’ originated
from the Pali word ‘avasa’ and from the Sanskrit word ‘avasatha’. This
was used to describe a monastery temple in Cambodia, Laos or Thailand.
The word ‘wat’ means ‘school’ meaning sacred Buddhist precinct that
was a residence for the monks, the temple proper, an edifice housing a
large image of Buddha, and a structure for lessons.
A Buddhist site requires a minimum of three resident monks to call it
a wat, although the term is frequently used more loosely, even for ruins
of ancient temples. Wat Ratchanatdaram Across Mahachai Road from Golden
Mount (Wat Saket) is Wat Ratchanatdaram. It is an unusual specimen,
possibly influenced by Burmese models.
Loha Prasat (Metal Palace) one of its tourist attractions standing on
its 36 metres high with 37 surrounding spires is the only one of its
kind left in the world.
Situated in the nearby area are a royal pavilion for a guest welcome
and the memorial statue of King Rama III.
The Wat has a well-known market selling Buddhist amulets or magic
charms or all size, shapes, and styles. The amulets not only feature
images of the Buddha, but famous Thai monks and Indian deities.
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