Wat Boromniwas Ratchaworawihan

Rating: 4.2/5 (6 votes)

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 05:00 – 20:00

 

Wat Boromniwas Ratchaworawihan If you’re walking around Bo Bae Market and assume this area is all commerce and no calm, you may be pleasantly surprised the moment you turn in and find Wat Boromniwas Ratchaworawihan. It is a royal temple that feels quietly serious, moving to a different rhythm from the main road outside, yet it preserves a dense layer of art and “ways of thinking” from Bangkok’s transitional era. The temple was once commonly called “Wat Nok.” King Mongkut (Rama IV) is said to have commissioned its construction during the period when he was ordained, with the intention that it would serve as an aranyawasi temple (a forest-temple tradition), paired conceptually with Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, which was regarded as a kamawasi temple (a community-based monastery). Later, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) ordered restoration works and granted the new name “Wat Boromniwas,” reinforcing the temple’s standing within the city’s religious landscape and the Dhammayut order.

 

The heart of what makes Wat Boromniwas “worth the deliberate trip” is the ubosot and what it contains. The most important sacred object is Phra Thotsaphonyan, a Buddha image in the Mara-vijaya posture, enshrined as the principal Buddha in the ubosot. Inside, the mural paintings are attributed to Khrua In Khong, a master artist of the era. What draws attention is not only the beauty, but the “method of storytelling” that shows how the temple world engaged with modernity. The paintings depict landscapes and people in a Western manner, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of Wat Bowonniwet Vihara and inviting close observation. Between the window bays, the murals illustrate Buddhist religious activities and monastic conduct, such as ordination, offering of the robe during the rains retreat, keeping precepts in the Buddhist Lent season, Loi Krathong, kathin ceremonies, forest-robe offerings, and merit-making on Makha Bucha and Visakha Bucha days. Above the windows are allegorical Dharma riddles featuring Western characters throughout. Particularly memorable scenes include a train and people observing the stars through a telescope, imagery that captures the arrival of new knowledge in a period when Thai society was learning the wider world while still questioning life through the lens of the Dhamma.

 

Beyond the murals, the temple’s architectural details are equally compelling. The monks’ quarters and the temple gate pavilion were built in a Western style by craftsmen during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). Here, “Western” does not merely mean decorative appeal; it also stands as evidence of an era in which restorations sought to keep religious spaces moving with time. The structures and proportions feel more orderly and formal, while the overall atmosphere remains calm and restrained, true to the temple’s role.

 

If you want to experience the visit with more depth, begin by observing the gate and the building lines first, because they help “set your eyes” to notice shifts between reigns and styles. Then enter the ubosot and move slowly along the walls, from the panels between the windows that depict rituals and conduct, up to the allegorical scenes above the windows. When you come across the train scene or the telescope scene, pause for a moment and ask what the painter may be suggesting about “progress” and “heedfulness.” That reflective layer is part of what makes Wat Boromniwas more than just a place for pretty photographs.

 

Getting There Reaching Wat Boromniwas Ratchaworawihan is convenient because it sits in an area that connects the Old City, Siam, and Hua Lamphong. If you start from the BTS/MRT zones or central Bangkok, you can use public transport and then take a short taxi ride or local bus connection. If you plan to continue exploring, Bo Bae Market and the Saen Saep canal area are within the same general radius, making this an easy half-day to one-day route that combines temple art with everyday city life.

 

In terms of monastic administration, the temple’s current abbot is widely noted within the Dhammayut tradition as Phra Thamwachirakhun (Prasat Panyatharo). This detail helps underline that the temple is not only a historical space, but also a living religious center that continues its role today.

 

 

 

A: It is best known for its ubosot murals attributed to Khrua In Khong, including Western-influenced imagery and allegorical Dharma scenes such as a train and a telescope, which are unusual in typical temple murals.

 

A: Sources commonly state that Rama IV commissioned the temple’s construction during the period when he was ordained, intending it as an aranyawasi (forest-temple) counterpart to the community-based tradition associated with Wat Bowonniwet Vihara.

 

A: Start with the panels between the windows showing Buddhist activities and monastic conduct, then look above the windows for allegorical Dharma riddles. The train scene and the telescope scene are especially striking and thought-provoking.

 

A: The temple sits in a convenient zone linking Siam, Hua Lamphong, and the Old City. Many visitors use public transport and then take a short taxi or bus connection, and it’s easy to combine with a visit to Bo Bae Market.

 

A: It is generally listed as open daily from 05:00–20:00, and the verified contact number is 02-214-0708.