Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat

Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Worawihan stands on the river’s western shore in Bang Si Mueang, across the river from Nonthaburi town. King Nangklao (Rama III) began it in 1849 on land where his mother’s family had lived, dedicating it to her and to his grandparents. He died before it was finished, and it was completed under King Mongkut in 1858.

The temple stands out for its crenellated outer walls, fortified like those of the Grand Palace, which follow the line of an old fort. Inside them, the ordination hall blends Thai and Chinese architecture, a hallmark of Rama III’s reign. It sees a fraction of the visitors of the big Bangkok temples, and the riverside setting, with a monument to King Nangklao on the bank behind the temple, makes it a peaceful stop on a trip upriver.

The ordination hall enshrines Phra Buddha Maha Lokaphinanta Patima, a Buddha in the posture of subduing Mara, cast in the royal foundry along with the principal image of Wat Ratchanatdaram. To the south, the Wihan Sila Khao holds a white stone Buddha installed by King Mongkut in 1858, and a smaller Thai-Chinese chapel houses an image known as Phra Chai Lang Chang. Behind them rises a 45-metre white chedi in the Sri Lankan bell style, containing relics.

The temple lies across the river, about 2 km downstream from Nonthaburi pier, the northern end of the Chao Phraya Express Boat line. From the pier, cross the river by ferry and continue by taxi or motorbike taxi, or take a taxi from central Nonthaburi.

Construction was directed by Dit Bunnag, the great noble of Rama III’s court, and after the king’s death in 1851 his son, Kham Bunnag, saw it through to completion. The fortified walls stand on the site of an older fort, Pom Thapthim, and were restored in 1992.