The Marble Temple

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

One of my favourite temples in Bangkok has to be Wat Benchamabopit. This is more commonly known by tourists and tour guides as the Marble Temple because it was built with marble from Carrera, Italy. It is one of the most stunning examples of modern day temple architecture with a blend of both Thai and Western architectural features. Notice the round columns at the front of the building and also the four tiered roof. Most temples roofs are two or three tiered and the building is oblong in shape. This one is cruciform in shape with a cloister attached to the back. Another departure from Thai tradition is the beautiful stained glass window.

The Marble Temple is located on the corner of Si Ayutthaya Road and Phra Rama V Road. This palace was built by King Rama V. The name of temple means "temple of the fifth king". Standing guard at the entrance to the ordination hall are two marble lions which are similar in style to the metal ones found at Wat Phra Kaew The Marble Temple
The Marble Temple
 . Another interesting feature of this temple is the absence of the usual sema stones which mark the boundary of the sacred area. Ordinations of monks can only be carried out in buildings that have these markers in the four corners. However, this temple has two poles at the front side topped with lotus buds. At the rear are two stone slabs marked with the Wheels of Dhamma.

On entering of the temple, I found an ordination taking place. Obviously, as this is a working temple, you should try and be respectful at all times. The principal Buddha image is in the style of the Buddha subduing Mara. There are eight paintings of famous stupas and chedis around Thailand in each of the alcoves inside the temple. The ashes of King Rama V were interred in the base of the Buddha image in 1911.

One of the reasons I like visiting this temple is because of the cloisters around the back. Here you will find a long line of 53 important Buddha images from around Thailand and also other Buddhist countries. Thirty three of them are originals and the remainders are scaled down copies of the originals. This remarkable collection was the idea of King Rama V. He asked Prince Damrong to travel around the country in order to collect important Buddha images. The result is probably the most important collection of Buddha images in one place as they represent different styles and periods. In total there are eleven attitudes or gestures of the Buddha which are represented by these statues. This is out of a total of about 80.

You can visit the Marble Temple at any time during the day. Entrance fee for foreigners is 20 baht.

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