Page views - click widget to expand view AboutThe Golden Mount or Phou Khao Thong is home of Wat Saket
The Icon is easily recognized by its Golden Chedi atop a fortress like hill (Golden mount / Phou Khao Tong) near the pier for Bangkok's east-west khlong ferry.
The Wat was restored by King Rama I, and 30,000 bodies were brought here during a plague in the reign of Rama II. The hill, which is almost 80 meters high, is an artificial construction begun during the reign of Rama III. Rama IV brought in 1,000 teak logs to shore it up because it was sinking into the swampy ground. Rama V built the golden chedi to house a relic of Buddha, said to be from India or Nepal, given to him by the British.
The concrete walls were added during World War II to keep the structure from collapsing. All around the Wat are the accommodation where the monks live and go to school.
The Golden Mount, a short but breathtaking climb that's best made in the morning, is most interesting for its vista of old Rattanakosin and the rooftops of Bangkok. Every year in the 12th lunar month (late October to mid-November - for nine days around the full moon) Wat Saket hosts Bangkok's most important temple fair, when the Golden Mount is wrapped with red cloth and a carnival erupts around it, with food and trinket stalls, theatrical performances, freak shows, animal circuses, and other monkey business.
The yellow hill crowned with a gleaming gold chedi is also known as the Golden Mount, or 'Phu Khao Thong'. It rises within the compound of Wat Saket, an unusual temple that houses Buddha relics within its 58-metre-high chedi surmounted by a golden cupola. Logistics:
upated 10/10/2022 Open Daily: 7.30 am to 7.00 pm
located within grounds of Wat Saket
Steps up: 318 ADMISSION FEE: 50 Baht for going up the golden mount, toilets and coffee shop 50mtrs up from the entrance. Temple Fair: every November. includes candlelight procession up the mount in the early evening hours.
Facilities: rest room, toilets and caf'e half way up mount
Background
. Wat Saket, the official name being Wat Saket Ratch Woramaha Wiharn, is an old temple that was built in the period of Ayutthaya and originally known as "Wat Sakaet". When Thonburi was the capital, the temple was claimed as the royal temple and its name were changed to "Wat Chaeng", means temple of the bright morning.
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Location344 Chakkraphat Diphong Road | Bang Bat, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok Thailand
note: map image IS NOT true North, rotated for best view
Getting there:
not close to any tourist friendly transportation, such as the Skytrain or river boat. The best option is to get a taxi from your hotel which can sometimes be difficult, so try
Canal ferry Boat: 200 mtrs from Pier Pier Phan fa Lilat on Canal Saen Saep
River Ferry boat of Chaophraya Express Boat to the Memorial Bridge pier N6, then take taxi or tuk-tuk from there. Bus: Only a few buses pass here. The bus no. 15 from Silom, no. 49 from Chinatown pass the temple entrance.
Tuk/Tuk: usually many at the Pier as this pier is the last stop hub gateway to the old city area
Private: Car: Drive to Thanon Worachak Rd and park in the temple.
Longdo map tips: transport, hospitality, tourism in longdo map best search
Icons at this junction
At the junction of zone "Bang Lamphu" and "Rattanakosin" along Ratchadamnoen Road. This Road is often heavily decorated with lights around King's birthday (5 December) and Queen's birthday (12 August) and other major anniversaries.
Sanam Luang and Lan Plabpla Maha Chedsada Bodin (ลานพลับพลามหาเจษฎาบดินทร์) in front of Wat Ratchanadda and its Loha Prasat are open spaces that frequently used to celebrate various events. Video
Created June 2022
Scene: Visit and walk to top
Duration: 10 mins
Timeline
external link https://youtu.be/iYIL_ytB0xY
1. standard video
(Thai: วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร, usually shortened to Wat Saket is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Bangkok, Thailand.
The temple dates back to the Ayutthaya era, when it was known as Wat Sakae (วัดสะแก). When Bangkok became the capital, King Rama I (1737–1809) renovated the temple and gave it its present name (which roughly translates as "wash hair"): it was believed that on his return from the war, the king stopped to take a bath and wash his hair here, before entering the inner city. Phu Khao Thong Phu Khao Thong (“Golden Mountain”, ภูเขาทอง) is a steep artificial hill inside the Wat Saket compound. Rama I's grandson, King Rama III (1788–1851), decided to build a chedi of huge dimensions inside Wat Saket, but the chedi collapsed during construction because the soft soil of Bangkok could not support the weight. Over the next few decades, the abandoned mud-and-brick structure acquired the shape of a natural hill and was overgrown with weeds. The locals called it the phu khao (ภูเขา), as if it was a natural feature. During the reign of King Rama IV, construction began of a small chedi on the hill. It was completed early in the reign of his son, King Rama V (1853–1910). A relic of the Buddha was brought from Sri Lanka by Prince Pritsadang and placed in the chedi. The surrounding concrete walls were added in the 1940s to stop the hill from eroding. The modern Wat Saket was built in the early 20th century using Carrara marble. An annual festival is held at Wat Saket every November, featuring a candlelight procession up Phu Khao Thong to the chedi,which is wrapped in a long red robe (similar to "Hae Pha Khuen That" (แห่ผ้าขึ้นธาตุ) festival of Wat Phra Mahathat, Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand. Devotees write their names and the names of family members on the robe and pray, believing that their prayers will be fulfilled. This festival has been observed since the reign of King Rama V. At the same time, a great Loi Krathong festival takes place at the temple, along with freak shows such as Phi Krasue ("floating female ghost head with glowing viscera dangling below", ผีกระสือ), Khon Song Hua ("two-headed man", คนสองหัว), Mia Ngu ("snake's wife", เมียงู), or fun games Sao Noi Tok Nam ("little girl falling into water", สาวน้อยตกน้ำ) etc. This festival is well known to Bangkok residents. The nearby Fort Mahakan community was a hub of the fireworks industry; however, after the demolition of the fort and removal of its community, fireworks trading has been banned. Phu Khao Thong is now a popular Bangkok tourist attraction and has become a symbol of the city. Website
Street viewStarting point: front gate
window below - external link
if not accurate use Google map; The Golden Mount - Pics - rws
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