Siam Society is holding a one-day trip to lesser-known temples and their Buddhist murals in the Thon Buri area of Bangkok on July 7.
Thon Buri was the capital of Thailand for 15 years from 1767 until 1782, with King Taksin the Great as its only king. When King Rama I came to the throne, he was aware that the moat would not provide an effective barrier against determined Burmese invaders. The area, surrounded by waterways, was also too small for what was then a growing city.
The king turned his thoughts to the land on the eastern bank of the river. Once Bangkok was founded as the new capital of Siam, Thon Buri became something of a rural backwater.
A place of markets, gardens, canals and old temples, the area was a sleepy town all the way through the 19th century as the Chakri Dynasty built Bangkok into a powerful city. Thon Buri remained an independent city and province until it was merged into Bangkok in 1971.
Led by Euayporn Kerdchouay, the trip will first stop at Wat Dusidaram Worawihan whose mural works were preserved by the Fine Arts Department in 1983.
Participants will then be taken to the ordination hall and wihan of Wat Bhumarin Rachapaksi, which is located in the compound of Wat Dusidaram, before going to Wat Bang Yi Khan to see mural paintings and a cluttered collection of Rattanakosin Buddhas.
In the afternoon, visitors will be taken to Wat Chaiya Thit, a small temple reputed for its remarkable mural paintings; and Wat Thong Thammachat, a third-rank royal temple with murals painted during the reign of King Rama III.
The last stop will be Wat Hong Rattanaram which is notable for the exquisite stucco decoration of the ordination hall, the carved figures of hamsas (hong) on the wooden doors, and also Buddha images.
The fee is 3,700 baht (3,200 baht for members).
Email studytrips@thesiamsociety.org or call 02-661-6470--3 ext 205.
