Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
The royal ordination temple where Thailand's kings have taken monastic vows since 1836.
Golden chedi of Wat Bowonniwet Vihara in Banglamphu
What to expect at Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
Wat Bowonniwet Vihara is small in scale but immense in significance. It was founded in 1826 and became the founding monastery of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya order, the reformed strand of Thai Buddhism established by Rama IV during his own 27-year ordination as a monk here before becoming king. Every subsequent monarch of the Chakri dynasty — including the current king and his father Rama IX — has been ordained at this temple. Because of that royal connection it is a first-class royal wat and a quietly powerful place, though most tourists in nearby Khao San Road walk past without knowing it exists.
The main ubosot holds two important Buddha images: the Phra Buddha Chinnasi, a slender Sukhothai-style bronze cast in the 14th century and moved here from Phitsanulok, and the smaller Phra Suwanna Khet. Both are backed by murals painted in the 1830s by Khrua In Khong — remarkable for showing Western scenes, ships and landscapes at a time when almost no Thai artist had seen a photograph. Behind the ubosot, the temple's gilded chedi stands on a raised terrace shaded by tamarind trees where a few monks read in the afternoon.
Because Wat Bowonniwet sits three minutes' walk north of Khao San Road, it is an easy detour from the backpacker district and a welcome antidote to Khao San's bars. It is also the temple where the famous monk Ajahn Chah's Western students often stay. There is no ticket, no dress rental booth and no touts — just take off your shoes, dress modestly and go in. Morning alms procession on Phra Sumen Road at 6:15am is worth setting an alarm for.
Questions about Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
Free. No admission is charged.
Always free — donations to the temple welcome.
About 45 minutes for the ubosot, murals and chedi terrace.
Open every day 8:30-17:30.
No booking required.
MRT Sam Yot plus a 15-minute walk, or take the Chao Phraya boat to Phra Athit pier.
Hotels near Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
More things to do
All things to do
From the journal
All posts
Comparisons & rankings
Hotels with rooftop pools in Bangkok, ranked
A rooftop pool in Bangkok is not a nice-to-have — it is the reason you booked, and around 30 hotels do it well enough to matter.
Comparisons & rankings
Best family-friendly hotels in Bangkok
The right family hotel in Bangkok saves you around 90 minutes of daily transit and, roughly, the sanity of two parents.
Comparisons & rankings
Hotels with airport shuttle in Bangkok
Bangkok has two airports 50 km apart and traffic that can turn a 40-minute drive into 2 hours, which is why the shuttle question matters more here than most cities.