Wat Suthat

Wat Suthat Thepwararam (วัดสุทัศนเทพวราราม, ) is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is a royal temple of the first grade, one of ten such temples in Bangkok (23 in Thailand). Construction was begun by King Rama I in 1807. In the beginning, it was initially called "Wat Maha Sutthawat" (วัดมหาสุทธาวาส) and was located in a combretum grove. Further construction and decorations were carried out by King Rama II who helped carve the wooden doors, but the temple was not completed until the reign of King Rama III in 1847 or 1848. This temple contains the Buddha image Phra Sri Sakyamuni (พระศรีศากยมุนี; ) which have been moved from Sukhothai Province. At the lower terrace of the base, there are 28 Chinese pagodas which symbolize the 28 Buddhas born on this earth. Wat Suthat also contains Phra Buddha Trilokachet (พระพุทธไตรโลกเชษฐ์; ) in the ubosot (ordination hall) and Phra Buddha Setthamuni (พระพุทธเศรษฐมุนี; ) in the sala kan parian (meeting hall).

In 2005, the temple was submitted to UNESCO for consideration as a future World Heritage Site.

Preta of Wat Suthat


The temple dates back to the beginning of the Rattanakosin Kingdom. At the time, it was said that preta (เปรต, pret), a kind of undead in Buddhist and Siamese belief often depicted as a tall hungry ghost with a thin body and a scary howling cry, appeared in front of the temple at night. One mural in the ordination hall of this temple, also shows painting of one preta lying to feed water from the monks. This gave rise to the saying "Pret Wat Suthat" (เปรตวัดสุทัศน์), often paired with "Raeng Wat Saket" (แร้งวัดสระเกศ, "vultures of Wat Saket"). The Sao Chingcha, or Giant Swing, a towering Hindu structure stands in front of the temple.