Wat Benchamabophit

Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram (Thai: วัดเบญจมบพิตรดุสิตวนาราม; About this soundpronunciation (help·info)) is a Buddhist temple (wat) in the Dusit District of Bangkok, Thailand. Also known as the marble temple, it is one of Bangkok's best-known temples and a major tourist attraction. It typifies Bangkok's ornate style of high gables, stepped-out roofs and elaborate finials.

You might recognise this iconic temple from its impression on the back of the ubiquitous Thai 5B coin. Also referred to as the Marble Temple, it was fashioned out of white marble imported from Italy. The distinctive bòht (ordination hall) of Wat Ben, as it is colloquially known, was built in the late 19th century under Rama V. The base of the central Buddha image, a copy of the revered Phra Phuttha Chinnarat in Phitsanulok, northern Thailand, contains his ashes.

Royal temple near Dusit Palace
At the end of the 19th century the King had Dusit Palace build, a large complex of Royal Palaces and Mansions including the Ananta Samakhom, the Vimanmek Royal Mansion and the Abhisek Throne Hall in Dusit district.

When Dusit Palace was finished, the King ordered construction of the marble temple in 1899 nearby on the site of an old temple complex dating from the early 19th century. In this temple, King Chulalongkorn ordained as a monk for a short time in 1873.

Construction
Construction of the temple began in 1899 at the request of King Chulalongkorn after building his palace nearby. The temple's name literally means 'the Temple of the fifth King located near Dusit Palace'. It was designed by Prince Naris, a half-brother of the king, and is built of Italian marble. It has display of Carrara marble pillars, a marble courtyard and two large singhas (lions) guarding the entrance to the bot. The interiors are decorated with crossbeams of lacquer and gold, and in shallow niches in the walls of paintings of important stupas all over the country. The cloister around the assembly hall houses 52 images of Buddha.

The temple
Inside the ordination hall (ubosot) is a Sukhothai-style Buddha statue named Phra Buddhajinaraja, cast in 1920 after the original in Wat Mahathat in Phitsanulok. The main Buddha image is a copy of Phra Buddha Chinarat that resides in Phitsanulok in northern Thailand. The ashes of King Chulalongkorn are buried beneath the statue. In the gallery surrounding the ordination hall are 52 Buddha statues each showing different mudras (signs), collected by Prince Damrong Rajanubhab for his king. The temple was featured in the famous The Amazing Race 9 as the 10th and final elimination pit-stop. The image of the temple's façade is visible on the reverse side of the Five-Baht coin of the Thai currency. The site contains the Benchamabophit National Museum.

Worship and festivals
Merit makers come to the monks of the temple for getting alms every morning. Between 06:00–07:30 in the morning, monks line up on Nakhon Pathom with their bowls to receive donations of curry, rice, lotus buds, incense, toiletries and other essentials. The evening candlelight procession around the bot during the Buddhist festivals of Magha Puja (in February) and Visakha Puja (in May) are common at this temple.

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

Wat Benchamabophit

• Address: 69 Nakornpathom Rd | Dusit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand.
• Opening Hours: 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
• Completed: 1911
• Architect: Narisara Nuvadtivongs