Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan, also known as Wat Saket for short or the temple of the Golden Mount, is one of Bangkok’s oldest temples dating back to the Ayutthaya era. When Bangkok became the capital of Thailand in 1782, King Rama I (1737-1809) renovated the temple and gave it its name.
Based in Bangkok old town, the radiant golden temple’s main stupa crowns an 80 metre tall manmade hill. Wat Saket was the capital’s crematorium in the 1820’s putting to rest some tens of thousands of victims of the first cholera pandemic.
During Loy Krathong festival in early November the temple hosts a fair. People carry red cloth to the top of the Golden Mount, make a wish for good fortune and wrap the cloth around the base of the stupa.
In the grounds you will find a few statues of brahman bulls. Bangkok’s temple in the sky, very photogenic at night.
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