Wat Ratchaorasaram in Chom Thong: Rama III's Sino-Thai temple in western Bangkok

On the west bank of the Chao Phraya, in the Chom Thong district, stands a first-class royal temple that almost no foreign traveller reaches: Wat Ratchaorasaram Ratchaworawihan, shortened to Wat Ratchaorot. Its origins go back to the Ayutthaya period, when it was called Wat Chom Thong (or Wat Kong Thong) — the name from which the whole district takes its own. The turning point came in 1820: Prince Chetsadabodin, the future King Nangklao (Rama III), had it restored after leading Siamese troops to the Three Pagodas Pass, near present-day Kanchanaburi, to halt a Burmese advance that turned out to be a false alarm. On his return he renamed the temple "Ratchaorot" ("the royal son") and dedicated it to his father, Rama II.

The Sino-Thai style

What makes this place unique lies in the lines of its roof. Rama III loved the Chinese style, and here he applied it thoroughly: it is the first Thai temple built without the traditional decorations on the gables. Gone are the cho fah (the beak-shaped finial at the peak of the pediment), the bai raka (the "teeth" along the ridge) and the hang hong (the swan tails at the corners). The result is a sober, geometric profile of Sino-Thai taste that struck the Thais of the day as so unusual it earned the local nickname "Wat Nok Yang", the temple that breaks the mould. John Crawfurd, the British envoy to the court of Rama II, described it as the most beautiful temple ever built in Bangkok.

What to see

Inside there are three things to seek out. In the ubosot (the ordination hall) sits the principal image, the Phra Buddha Arnunthakhun, about 4.5 metres tall and over 3 wide, beneath a nine-tiered parasol — a detail reserved for places where the ashes of kings rest. The vihara, by contrast, holds a stucco reclining Buddha some twenty metres long; along the veranda wall are set 42 marble slabs engraved with texts on traditional Thai medicine and massage, a little treatise in stone worth a few minutes' reading. In a smaller vihara to the north stands the Phra Si Sanphet, a large standing Buddha in the art of the middle Ayutthaya period.

An out-of-the-way temple

Why is it so overlooked? Geography, above all. The temple lies in the western outskirts, far from the great sites of the centre (Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the Grand Palace) and off the tour circuits. The result: no souvenir stalls, no ticket office for foreigners, a handful of local faithful and monks. The atmosphere is quiet and admission is free; it is wise to dress covering shoulders and knees, as at any working Thai temple.

How to get there

How to get there: the simplest solution is the BTS Silom Line to Wutthakat station (western Bangkok), and from there a short taxi or motorbike-taxi ride towards Soi Ekkachai 4, on Ekkachai Road, in Bang Kho. Alternatively there are city buses (route 43) and the songthaew/minibuses that leave from the Talat Phlu market. A curiosity for railway enthusiasts: the historic State Railway's Maeklong Line runs right behind the temple, with the Chom Thong stop a few steps away — an unusual way to combine the visit with one of the most picturesque lines in Thailand. Full address: 285 Soi Ekkachai 4, Bang Kho, Chom Thong, Bangkok 10150.