Wat Traimit – Temple of the Golden Buddha

Wat Traimit
Temple of the Golden Buddha

Wat Traimit Witthayaram or the Temple of the Golden Buddha stands at the junction of Traimit, Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Roads.

Just across from the main entrance of the temple is the Odeon circle and the archway to Chinatown Bangkok.

The Golden Buddha in in this wat is 3 m high and cast in solid gold weighing 5 tonnes!

The statue has a very unusual history.

During the reign of King Rama III, a huge statue of Buddha apparently made of brown clay was installed in Wat Phrayakrai in the Yannawa district. This is the area to the south of the Taksin Bridge. Oriental Hotel and the other riverside hotels are to the north of the bridge.

In 1931, the temple was somehow abandoned and remained deserted until 1957 when the East Asiatic Company took over the premises.

When the temple had to be vacated, a crane was employed to move the statue. By a strange quirk of fortune, as the statue was hoisted up, it slipped from the straps and fell to the ground. The horror of the onlookers turned to surprise when they examined the statue.

The brown plaster shattered from the impact revealed a Buddha statue cast in solid gold. A closer examination revealed that the statue dated back to the Sukhotai period in the 12th to 13th centuries. The statue was coated with brown plaster to discourage the Burmese from looting it. The ploy worked.

The Golden Buddha

Since then, the Golden Buddha has been placed in Wat Traimit, Chinatown Bangkok. Today hundreds of devotees visit Wat Traimit daily to pay homage and pray at the feet of the Golden Buddha.

The Golden Buddha is placed in the second story of a separate building in the wat. Shattered pieces of brown plaster are on display in a glass showcase to the left of the Golden Buddha. Access to the wat can be from the side gate in Traimit Road or from the main entrance in Charoen Krung Road.

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