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Some of Bangkok's most beautiful and
fascinating Buddhist temples are rarely visited by tourists, and little known to
city residents who do not live in their immediate vicinity. Oases of peaceful
contemplation and devout merit making, Bangkok's TRANSCENDENT TEMPLES hold
simple wonders waiting to be discovered by guests with special interests in
Buddhism, art, and Thai history.
Embark this morning with your personal guide who is especially knowledgeable about
Buddhism, Thai history, and traditional arts. Start your pilgrimage at one of
Bangkok's most glorious and nearly forgotten temples, constructed during the
reign of King Rama V. This sanctuary is exemplary for many reasons, including
its unique circular colonnade, superb regal crests on its grand doors rendered
in intricately inlayed mother-of-pearl, and the astounding fact that its
exterior is completely covered in hand-painted benjarong ceramic tiles
portraying male angels. Our guide will try to arrange for you to view the two
royal chapels, whose design was inspired by European cathedrals and the courtly
architecture of Versailles. Wander through its quiet, well-tended garden of
gorgeous funerary follies incorporating elements of gothic church spires and
stained glass. Nearby is a sadly neglected, yet dignified, royal temple from the
era of Rama IV. Beside the temple is an astonishing and beautifully proportioned
chapel whose spire is topped with serene faces inspired by the Bayon in Angkor.
Inside the main hall is are especially significant murals of traditional Thai
festivals and ceremonies. Of special note, they depict a night time version of
the Royal Barge procession, whose gilded celestial barges are lit by floating
torchlight!
Next, visit a tiny temple complex which serves a riverside market community
of old wooden homes and ice-making factories. Inside the old chapel are
murals which depict monks dispassionately tending decomposing corpses. The
mural artists painted fanciful background scenes including then-futuristic
looking biplanes and dirigibles! Higher up, surrounding the main Buddha
image, is a glorious ultramarine-blue paradise filled with billowing clouds
and cavorting Thai angels. The murals show significant decay in just the
last few years, so visit here before they vanish from neglect. We suggest
you take lunch at the unpretentious riverside restaurant nearby that was voted
"Best Seafood Restaurant" several years ago by a popular Bangkok
magazine. (We eat there all the time. You'll love it.)
After lunch, visit an ancient temple in Thonburi, the original location of
the Siamese capital before it moved to the sleepy fishing village of
Bangkok. Constructed in the Ayuttaya period, it was remodeled by King Rama
I. The main hall is now locked due to recent vandalism, but our guide will
arrange for the key from the temple abbot so that you may view some of
Thailand's most spectacular temple paintings, including a vibrant battle
scene with hilarious and humiliating depictions of the grotesquely rendered
foreign invaders. Although water-damaged from a leaky roof, the murals are
now being preserved by the Fine Arts Department for future generations. If
you are very lucky, you may witness a rare animist spectacle which is
rumored to take place here in which a person whose wishes have been granted
gives thanks to benevolent spirits by prancing around the ordination hall,
hobby-horse style.
Continue exploring tranquil and inspiring temples with our guide at your own
pace until the end of the afternoon.
Day Tour price: US$59
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