The Wat Pathumkhongka Ratchaworawiharn which is also known as Wat Pathum Khong Ka lies majestically in the Samphanthawong district or the Sampheng district of Chinatown Bangkok. Gloriously glistening with the charm of the ancient in each corner of its mighty structure, the Wat Pathum Khong Ka is a second class royal temple dating back from the historic times of the Ayutthaya period.
The ancient temple was also called the Wat Sampheng given its location. During the reign of King Rama the First, the temple received its present name after being fully renovated by Somdet Krom Phraratchawang Borworn Mahasurasinghanat, as a merit making dedicated to Thongdee, his father.
The picturesque temple does not simply boast of magnificence in its exterior form. The splendor of the interior is just as beautiful and alluring as the wonderful history that shapes its significance. In the Ubosot or the Ordination Hall of brick make one will witness the silent majesty of the Buddha image enshrined amid the Mara or the demon mudra. A stone that has captured the Buddha’s foot print is also reverently laid amid the mighty structures of this temple that guard its honor with valor and pride since times ancient. The Sermon Hall or the Wiharn has doors and windows adorned so exquisitely with lacquered patterns of gold leaves, witnessing to the creative forte of the old old artist.
Horrors too have taken place amidst the splendor of these walls, where King Rama the Third in fury ordered the execution of Krommaluang Rak Ronnaret for the treacherous crime of stirring the masses in a rebellion against him in 1848 (2391 BE). The execution took place behind the Wiharn in the Thaen Hin Paraharn Kabot which literally means the rebel execution stone. The ashes of the royalty as well as the majestic white elephants were also scattered in the holy place in the canal front of the temple, consecrating this temple with the richest of traditions of the past.
A Bangkok cruise tour could be taken to witness the wonder of the Wat Pathum Khong Ka, while treating you to the absolute luxury to be found in resorts such as Anantara Cruises Thailand which also arrange Bangkok cruises along its most prominent rivers to witness the timeless beauty of a land rich in culture and tradition.