Wat Pathum Wanaram’s quiet roofs and shaded grounds sit between the glassy commercial blocks of Siam. Founded in the nineteenth century beside the royal Sa Pathum grounds, the temple gives this district a visible earlier layer: a place of worship surrounded by a city that grew around it.
Guide
Traffic and shopping towers frame the temple, but the red rooflines and trees inside the walls belong to an older Bangkok. Wat Pathum Wanaram was built in 1853 by order of King Rama IV, beside the Sa Pathum royal grounds; the name also appears in records as Wat Sra Pathum.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Founded by royal order in 1853 under Rama IV.
- Also historically known as Wat Sra Pathum.
- The temple stands beside the former Sa Pathum royal grounds.
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