Located on the banks of Klong Dan at Wat Paknam Bhasi Charoen, a giant Buddha statue is the new landmark in the Thon Buri area.
Phra Phuttha Dhammakaya Thepmongkol rises 69m at Wat Paknam Bhasi Charoen.
You can reach the temple by taking the BTS Skytrain across the Chao Phraya River and get off at Wutthakat station. From here, you can take a cab or a motorcycle taxi to the temple. An alternative option is to leave the Skytrain at Talat Phlu station and do a little tour around the community before you arrive at the gigantic Buddha image.
From afar, Buddha's face looks kind and calm and the head bends down a little, making you feel as if he is looking at the ground or perhaps at you. The statue, built in the meditation posture of a lotus flower, is 69m tall, or about the height of a 20-storey building, and 40m wide. It appears as if the image is coated with gold but it is actually made of pure bronze, according to the temple.
Started in 2017, the statue is now almost complete and has been given the name Phra Phuttha Dhammakaya Thepmongkol. The project, which cost 100 million baht, was initiated following a dream of the late highly respected abbot Phra Mongkol Thepmuni, better known as Luang Pu Sod Chanthasaro. He was the founder of Dhammakaya teachings that led to the establishment of Wat Dhammakaya in 1970.
Located on a 20 rai site, Wat Paknam is an old temple founded around 1610 during the Ayutthaya kingdom. The temple was in ruins until Luang Pu Sod from Wat Pho became the abbot of Wat Paknam in 1916 during the period of King Rama VI. The temple still houses artefacts from the Ayutthaya period such as the principal Buddha image in its ordination hall and Ho Tri, a library for keeping the Tripitaka.
When you visit the temple, you will see a huge white pagoda next to the seated Buddha image. First opened in 2012, Phra Maha Chedi Maha Ratchamongkol is the name of the 80m-tall multi-tier stupa. It has mixed architecture -- the old Lanna style from the North and the present Rattanakosin prang-like art from the Central Region. The temple invested about 300 million baht and took about nine years to complete.
The bell-shaped glass pagoda was built to house a Buddha relic. It is located on the 5th floor of Phra Maha Chedi Maha Ratchamongkol in Wat Paknam. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)
The structure features five storeys. The top floor is where you can worship Buddha relics housed in an elegant 8m-tall green glass pagoda. A life-sized sculpture of Luang Pu Sod made of gold is exhibited on the 4th floor while personal collections of the present abbot, Somdej Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn or Somdej Chuang, are displayed on the 3rd floor. The 2nd floor is a prayer and meditation hall while the 1st floor is a museum displaying general items such as antique cars owned by the abbot. The white pagoda is also known as Wat Paknam Museum. Unfortunately, it is closed amid the new wave of Covid-19 infections.
From the temple, you can continue your journey to Talat Phlu, an old Chinese community in Bangkok. The ambience has not changed compared to the last time I visited many years ago.
The history of Chinese people living in this area can be traced back to the reign of King Taksin. It was the home to Teochew people who migrated from southern China. While some of them were merchants, others settled there to sell their labour or became farmers. They cultivated piper betel or phlu in Thai because at that time, Thais loved to chew mak phlu, a bite of dried betel nuts wrapped with heart-shaped leaves of phlu and daubed with poon daeng, a sediment of slaked lime mixed with water and turmeric.
People chewed mak phlu to freshen their breath and to break the ice with strangers or as a gesture to welcome guests. It was also fashion to blacken their teeth in the old days.
Lively street art not far from Talat Phlu market. The community still preserves old wooden houses and shophouses that add charm to the site.
During the early Rattanakosin era, betel was cultivated in many parts of Thon Buri, including farmlands along Bang Sai Kai Canal northeast of Talat Phlu and Bang Waek Canal to its west. Farmers paddled boats loaded with betel leaves and nuts to Talat Phlu to sell. At that time, the market was about 300m long, stretching from Wat Ratchakhrue to Wat Intharam. Hence, the area became known as Talat Phlu after the popular item.
When you visit Talat Phlu, you will see not only old temples but also Chinese shrines as well as mosques since the area is also home to Muslims whose ancestors settled there during the Ayutthaya era and early Rattanakosin era.
To start exploring the community, I visited the temple of the King of Thon Buri.
Located in Thoed Thai Soi 8, Wat Intharam Worawihan or Wat Tai is an old temple built in the Ayutthaya period that was renovated by King Taksin after he founded the Thon Buri kingdom.
He ordered a major expansion of the temple and declared it a royal temple where he often went to meditate. At present, the temple houses the royal seat of meditation in its prayer hall. The seat was carved from a single piece of wood and a small statue and portraits of the king are placed on the wooden seat for people to pay respect.
Outside the prayer hall, you will see a life-sized statue of King Taksin riding his battle horse with a sword in his right hand and two golden stupas. The pagoda on the right houses the ashes of the king while the one on the left houses the ashes of his queen.
The golden pagodas are believed to house the ashes of King Taksin and his queen in Wat Intharam. Next to the pagodas is a life-sized sculpture of the king.
A short walk from Wat Intharam is Wat Ratchakhrue Worawihan. Located in Thoed Thai Soi 14, the temple is also known as Wat Mon because it was built by a Mon commander and his people during the Ayutthaya period. They wanted to show their gratitude for the land they were allowed to settle in. During the Thon Buri era, the temple underwent a major renovation with the help of commander Phraya Pichai, a great warrior serving King Taksin. He was also known by the name Phraya Pichai of the Broken Sword.
Phraya Pichai repaired the temple and had a reclining Buddha image built. However, its posture is different from other reclining Buddha images we see. Instead of lying on the right side, the Buddha image lies on his back with his eyes closed. The pose is known as pang thawai phraphloeng, meaning the cremation posture. He wanted to make merit for soldiers who died during the war between Siam and Burma. The reclining Buddha image is housed in a prayer hall.
Also in Wat Ratchakhrue is a prang stupa that was built to keep the ashes of Phraya Pichai.
In Thoed Thai Soi 20, you will also find another historical site in Talat Phlu. Sanchao Pho Phra Phloeng or the Shrine of the God of Fire is located on the banks of the Bangkok Yai canal. According to Chinese folklore, the God of Fire was named Zhu Rong who was sent from heaven to teach human beings how to use fire.
People in the Talat Phlu community built the shrine after a fire in 1975. They believed the God of Fire will protect them from other fires and the sculpture was crafted from wood painted in green. Meanwhile, his hair, beard and eyebrows are red and he dons a golden warrior costume and holds a sword in his right hand. The shrine is one of the most popular places of worship in the community. In December, there will be an annual ceremony to worship him.
Other Chinese shrines you can visit are the 180-year old Guan Yu shrine in Thoed Thai Soi 26 and the 90-year-old Rong Che Siang Kheng Tung shrine, a Chinese vegetarian centre in Thoed Thai Soi 21. They house the shrines of Guan Yin or the Goddess of Mercy and also Guan Yu, while Rong Che Siang Kheng Tung is known as the first vegetarian society in the community.
Visiting Talat Phlu cannot be complete without having delicious food. The Chinese community will not fail you if you are looking for delicious traditional fare.
King Taksin’s meditation seat in Wat Intharam.
A train serves commuters between Thon Buri and Mahachai in Samut Sakhon province. It stops for passengers at Talat Phlu station.
One famous food item is kui chai (chive dumplings). My favourite is homemade kui chai sold by the Kui Chai Num Phom Yao stall, or "the stall selling chive dumplings with a long-haired male vendor". He arrives with his pushcart around 1pm every day except Monday. His stall is located under the concrete bridge that crosses the Talat Phlu market. You will see a long queue of customers waiting for his arrival. His dumplings, wrapped in thin rice flour sheets, are tasty even without the dip. Due to the delicious taste and the fact he is known as one of the oldest kui chai vendors in the area, his dumplings always sell out within half-an-hour.
For those with a sweet tooth, you should head to the Khanom Wan Talat Phlu shop, located on Thoed Thai Road near the Talat Phlu train station. The shophouse has been open for more than 60 years and offers various choices of traditional Thai desserts such as foi thong (sweetened egg yolk thread), thong yip (egg yolk fudge cooked in syrup) and khanom piak poon (Thai-style charcoal pudding).
Last but not least is mee krob or crispy rice noodle stir-fried with pork, shrimp and egg. A famous place to buy the dish is Tek Heng restaurant better known as Mee Krob Jeen Lee restaurant. It is not far from the shrine of the God of Fire and Talat Phlu Pier.
Mee krob is the best selling dish at this place thanks to its long history. The restaurant's original owner, Jeen Lee, even had the chance to offer the dish to King Rama V when he made a royal visit to the community more than 140 years ago. It was said that the king was so pleased with the dish that he gave a royal garuda to Jeen Lee to show that the restaurant was one of his favourites. Since then, the meal has been known as Mee Krob Ror Ha, which means crispy noodle from the period of King Rama V.
The dish is served with a side of pickled garlic, fresh chives, bean sprouts and som sa (bitter orange). It is good to experience it once as this mee krob dish does not taste or look like the typical sweetened pink crispy noodle dish we can find in most markets.
Before leaving Talat Phlu, do not forget to check out street art. From Talat Phlu, you can return to the city by taking the BTS from Talat Phlu station.
Wat Ratchakhrue was renovated by Phraya Pichai, the commander in chief of King Taksin’s army. He also commissioned the reclining Buddha in the cremation posture (pang thawai phraphloeng). After his death, his ashes were kept in the prang stupa in the temple.
The shrine of Chao Pho Phra Phloeng or the God of Fire.
