Wat Ratchadathithan Ratchaworawihan

Rating: 3.4/5 (23 votes)

Open Days: Daily (recommended to call ahead, especially if you want to enter the ordination hall during ceremonies)

Opening Hours: Generally 08:00 – 17:00 (access to the ordination hall may vary depending on temple activities)

 

Wat Ratchadathithan Ratchaworawihan (Wat Ngoen) is an old temple on Bangkok’s Thonburi side that doesn’t rely on grand scale or “must-see landmark” status. Its weight comes from layered history and real community life that has continued since the Ayutthaya era. The temple sits in Khlong Chak Phra, Taling Chan District—a long-established riverside-and-canal community in Thonburi where the canal way of life still shows itself through houses, neighbors, and daily religious routines that are genuinely lived, not staged for visitors.

 

Historically, this temple was known as “Wat Ngoen” (the Silver Temple) and was built as a pair with “Wat Thong” (the Gold Temple) on opposite sides of Khlong Bang Phrom. Local tradition says the founder was Chao Khrua Ngoen, a Chinese man of the Tan clan, who was the husband of Somdet Chao Fa Krom Phra Si Sudarak (Kaew), the elder royal sister of King Rama I. His younger brother, Chao Khrua Thong, also settled in the area, and the two brothers built Wat Ngoen and Wat Thong as centers of faith for the canal community. Seen this way, “silver” and “gold” are more than names—they hint at kinship networks, community ties, and the role of Chinese immigrants who blended closely into Thai society in the late Ayutthaya period.

 

After Chao Khrua Ngoen passed away in the Thonburi era, Wat Ngoen continued as a community temple. In the early Rattanakosin period, during King Rama I’s reign, Somdet Phra Amarintharamat re-established and strengthened the monastic complex. Later, in King Rama III’s reign, King Nangklao ordered further renovations of key structures such as monks’ residences, a chanting hall, a scripture hall, and a new bell tower. These works reflect the temple’s role as a social and religious anchor for the Bang Phrom–Khlong Chak Phra canal area as Bangkok continued to expand.

 

In King Rama IV’s reign, King Mongkut ordered another major restoration and granted the temple its present name, “Wat Ratchadathithan,” elevating it to a royal temple of the third class (Ratchaworawihan). The new name highlights the formal link between royal patronage and a living place of faith. At the same time, the older name “Wat Ngoen” has remained in local memory and everyday speech—showing how official identity and community tradition can coexist side by side up to the present day.

 

Inside the temple grounds, it’s worth slowing down to notice the craftsmanship and architectural details. The ordination hall features a three-tiered, decreasing roofline and classic Thai decorative elements such as chofa, bai raka, and hang hong. The gable is adorned with yellow-painted floral stucco—simple, yet confident. The doors and windows are finished with meticulous lai rot nam (gold-on-black lacquer designs). Inside, the principal Buddha image in the Mara-vijaya posture serves as a long-standing spiritual center for the community.

 

Behind the ordination hall, a small viharn (chapel) offers another point of interest. Its gable and door-window surrounds follow the same visual language as the ordination hall, but the door panels feature a lai rot nam depiction of a Western rider on horseback—a detail that reflects how Western influence gradually entered Thai artistic expression in the early Rattanakosin period. Inside sits a small Buddha image in meditation posture, along with faint traces of wall paintings. Even though much has faded over time, what remains still suggests the tastes and worldview of the era when the temple was renewed.

 

Overall, Wat Ratchadathithan Ratchaworawihan isn’t a place you visit to rush through a checklist. It’s a temple that lets you “read Bangkok through a temple”—from Chinese immigrant settlement history, to royal patronage and renaming, to the shift from a local canal community temple into a royal monastery, and to its ongoing role as a real center of Thai tradition. If you like temples with quiet atmosphere, strong stories, and a slower, more human view of Thonburi, this one deserves a spot on your list.

 

Getting There The temple is located at 692 Khlong Chak Phra, Taling Chan District, Bangkok. Reaching it is easiest by private car or taxi—just pin the temple name on your map app and follow the route. If you use public transport, you can head toward Charan Sanitwong or Bang Khunnon areas and then continue by local transport for the final stretch. Visiting in the morning to late morning is recommended for a comfortable walk and to avoid disturbing monastic routines.

 

 

A: It’s ideal for people who enjoy temples with real history and a lived-in community atmosphere—quiet, unhurried, and distinctly Thonburi rather than central-city Bangkok.

 

A: The lai rot nam designs on the ordination hall doors and windows, plus the small viharn behind it with a rare lai rot nam depiction of a Western rider on horseback.

 

A: You can continue your day at Taling Chan Floating Market, Khlong Lat Mayom Floating Market, Baan Silapin (Khlong Bang Luang Artists’ House), or the Royal Barges National Museum—all doable within the same trip.