Wat Mahathat (Bangkok)Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit, usually just Wat Mahathat, is one of the most important working temples in Bangkok and one of the least touristy in the old city. It holds the highest grade of royal temple, sits on Maharat Road between Sanam Luang and the river, and is a stronghold of the Maha Nikaya, the larger of Thailand’s two monastic orders. Most people passing through its gates are monks, students and worshippers rather than tour groups.
The grounds house Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, the country’s oldest university for Buddhist monks, which admitted its first students in 1889. For visitors the main draw is the Vipassana meditation centre, which teaches Thais and foreigners alike, from a single sitting to longer residential retreats. Wear white or plain, modest clothes and ask at the centre for current session times.
The lanes outside the temple walls hold the amulet market, where collectors study protective charms through magnifying glasses, and the Bangkok National Museum is just to the north. Don’t confuse this temple with Wat Mahathat in Ayutthaya, the ruined royal monastery of the old capital.
Nearby Attractions to Wat Mahathat (Bangkok)#
Weather & Climate near Wat Mahathat (Bangkok)#
Wat Mahathat (Bangkok)'s climate is classified as Tropical Savanna - Tropical Savanna climate with consistently warm temperatures year-round. Temperatures range from 21°C to 35°C. Abundant rainfall (1310 mm/year), wettest in September with a pronounced dry season.
| Month | Comfort | Temp | Feels | Rain | Sky | Humidity | Wind | UV | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Ideal | 21° - 32° | 27° | 9 mm | mostly sunny | 64% | 1.5 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.3h |
| February | Excellent | 23° - 33° | 30° | 14 mm | mostly sunny | 60% | 1.8 m/s | 2.0 extreme | 11.6h |
| March | Excellent | 25° - 34° | 32° | 33 mm | some cloud | 62% | 1.8 m/s | 2.2 extreme | 11.9h |
| April | Very Good | 26° - 35° | 35° | 60 mm | partly cloudy | 66% | 1.5 m/s | 2.4 extreme | 12.3h |
| May | Acceptable | 26° - 34° | 36° | 169 mm | overcast | 76% | 1.5 m/s | 2.3 extreme | 12.6h |
| June | Acceptable | 26° - 33° | 36° | 129 mm | overcast | 80% | 1.7 m/s | 2.3 extreme | 12.8h |
| July | Acceptable | 25° - 33° | 35° | 143 mm | overcast | 81% | 1.7 m/s | 2.3 extreme | 12.7h |
| August | Acceptable | 25° - 33° | 35° | 177 mm | overcast | 82% | 1.7 m/s | 2.3 extreme | 12.4h |
| September | Acceptable | 24° - 32° | 34° | 287 mm | overcast | 85% | 1.4 m/s | 2.1 extreme | 12.1h |
| October | Acceptable | 24° - 32° | 33° | 237 mm | overcast | 85% | 1.1 m/s | 1.9 very high | 11.7h |
| November | Very Good | 23° - 32° | 31° | 46 mm | partly cloudy | 80% | 1.5 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.4h |
| December | Ideal | 21° - 32° | 26° | 6 mm | some cloud | 71% | 1.8 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.2h |
How to Get to Wat Mahathat (Bangkok)#
Tha Maharaj and Tha Chang piers on the Chao Phraya Express Boat are both a few minutes’ walk from the gate on Maharat Road. Sanam Chai station on the MRT Blue Line is about 20 minutes south on foot, past the Grand Palace walls.
History & Culture of Wat Mahathat (Bangkok)#
The temple is older than Bangkok. It began in the Ayutthaya period as Wat Salak, a small riverside monastery. When King Rama I founded his new capital in 1782, the site ended up between the Grand Palace and the Front Palace, the residence of the viceroy, and it became the setting for royal ceremonies and funerals. It was made the city’s Wat Mahathat, the “monastery of the great relic”, in 1803. Kings and princes enlarged and restored it through the 19th and 20th centuries, and it received its present full name in 1996.