Pay respects to Luang Pho To Sampokong at Wat Kalayanamitr

🏘 Wat Kalayanamitr Woramahawihan was originally a village where Chinese monks resided, known as "Kudi Chin Village." Chao Phraya Nikornbodin (To Kalayanamitr) donated his house and nearby land to build the temple in 1825 and graciously dedicated it as a royal temple.
🙏🏽 King Rama III bestowed the name Wat Kalayanamitr and commissioned the construction of the main vihara and principal Buddha image, a large Buddha statue called Phra Phuttha Trairattana Nayok or Luang Pho To, intending to resemble the old capital with a large Buddha outside the city walls, similar to Wat Phanan Choeng Worawihan.
🙏🏽 Luang Pho To is highly revered, especially among the Chinese community, who call him Sampohud Kong or Sampokong in Chinese. He is a plaster Buddha statue in the Mara Vichai posture.
🏠 The ubosot houses a Buddha image in the Palilayaka posture, commissioned by King Rama III. It is one of only two temples in Bangkok with a principal Buddha image in this posture. Inside are murals depicting the Buddha’s life and scenes of villagers during King Rama III’s reign.
🛖 The Hor Phra Thammontian Thoeng Phra Kiat is the repository for the Tipitaka scriptures from King Rama IV’s era.
🏚 The sermon hall or small vihara resembles the ubosot and enshrines a principal Buddha image in the Mara Vichai posture, cast in large bronze. The artistic style is Sukhothai, with the face remodeled during King Rama III’s reign to be somewhat round and oval-shaped.
🗼 The bell tower houses the largest giant bell in Thailand.
♨️ Wat Kalayanamitr Woramahawihan: No. 371 Soi Arun Amarin 6, Wat Kalayan Subdistrict, Thonburi District, Bangkok
🎯 Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5TCeRaNg727KHxEL6
🕖 Opening hours: 07:00 – 17:00 hrs.

Post by the old traveler | Jul 11, 2025