Wat Mangkon KamalawatWat Mangkon Kamalawat is the spiritual heart of Chinatown: the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist temple in Bangkok, set behind a tall Chinese gate off Charoen Krung Road. Many Thai-Chinese still call it by its older name, Wat Leng Noei Yi, and the compound is rarely quiet. Worshippers shake fortune sticks, burn fistfuls of incense and paper offerings, and leave food and flowers at a long sequence of altars.
The temple follows the Mahayana tradition, and like Chinese folk religion generally it mixes Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian figures under one roof. You will share the halls with chanting monks and families on merit-making errands, so keep your voice down, give worshippers room at the altars, and check whether photography is allowed before taking pictures inside.
Exploring Wat Mangkon Kamalawat#
Past the gate, a forecourt leads to the main halls, their sweeping tiled roofs crowded with dragons and ceramic flowers. Four towering guardian kings in warrior dress flank the entrance to the sermon hall, and the ordination hall behind holds the temple’s golden main Buddha, a blend of Thai and Chinese styles. Shrines around the compound honour a crowd of deities: look for the pavilions at the back dedicated to Guan Yin, the goddess of compassion, and to the temple’s founding monk, and for the gallery of gilded Buddha images nearby. In the forecourt, a furnace burns paper money and other gifts for the ancestors.
The temple is at its most spectacular during Chinese New Year and the autumn vegetarian festival, when the surrounding lanes fill with yellow flags and food stalls. On those days, come early.
Nearby Attractions to Wat Mangkon Kamalawat#
Weather & Climate near Wat Mangkon Kamalawat#
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat'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 (1356 mm/year), wettest in September with a pronounced dry season.
| Month | Comfort | Temp | Feels | Rain | Sky | Humidity | Wind | UV | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Excellent | 21° - 32° | 27° | 10 mm | mostly sunny | 67% | 1.6 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.3h |
| February | Excellent | 23° - 33° | 30° | 16 mm | mostly sunny | 66% | 2.0 m/s | 2.0 extreme | 11.6h |
| March | Excellent | 25° - 34° | 34° | 32 mm | some cloud | 69% | 1.8 m/s | 2.2 extreme | 11.9h |
| April | Very Good | 26° - 35° | 36° | 63 mm | partly cloudy | 70% | 1.8 m/s | 2.4 extreme | 12.3h |
| May | Acceptable | 26° - 34° | 37° | 176 mm | overcast | 76% | 1.6 m/s | 2.3 extreme | 12.6h |
| June | Acceptable | 26° - 34° | 36° | 134 mm | overcast | 79% | 1.8 m/s | 2.3 extreme | 12.8h |
| July | Acceptable | 25° - 33° | 35° | 148 mm | overcast | 80% | 1.8 m/s | 2.3 extreme | 12.7h |
| August | Acceptable | 25° - 33° | 35° | 185 mm | overcast | 80% | 1.8 m/s | 2.3 extreme | 12.4h |
| September | Acceptable | 25° - 33° | 34° | 296 mm | overcast | 83% | 1.5 m/s | 2.1 extreme | 12.1h |
| October | Acceptable | 24° - 32° | 33° | 241 mm | overcast | 84% | 1.2 m/s | 1.9 very high | 11.7h |
| November | Very Good | 23° - 32° | 31° | 48 mm | partly cloudy | 80% | 1.4 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.4h |
| December | Excellent | 21° - 32° | 26° | 7 mm | some cloud | 71% | 1.7 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.2h |
How to Get to Wat Mangkon Kamalawat#
Wat Mangkon station on the MRT Blue Line, named after the temple, is a couple of minutes’ walk away. By river, Ratchawong pier on the Chao Phraya Express Boat is about 10 minutes on foot through Chinatown.
History & Culture of Wat Mangkon Kamalawat#
The temple was founded in 1871 or 1872 (sources differ) by a Chinese monk, Phra Archan Chin Wang Samathiwat, under the name Leng Noei Yi, usually translated as Dragon Lotus Temple. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) later gave it its Thai name, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, which carries the same meaning. It has been the main temple of Bangkok’s Chinese community ever since, and its arrival on the MRT map in 2019 confirmed its place as Chinatown’s landmark.