Travel Like the Wind : Suchart Choolee
When the wind of old Bangkok carries you along Ratchabophit Road, the golden spire gleaming against the sky captures your gaze and stills your heart. Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram, a royal temple of the Fifth Reign, stands in graceful majesty amid the city’s heritage quarter. Commissioned by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1869 as his royal temple, every brick and tile was shaped under the refined direction of Prince Pradit Warakan, reflecting the exquisite artistry of early Rattanakosin craftsmanship.
The name Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram carries profound meaning — “the temple built by the King, where the Great Boundary is set.” The term Maha Sima refers to a sacred monastic boundary for major ecclesiastical rites, symbolizing the King’s unwavering faith and devotion to sustaining Buddhism through the ages.
Stepping into the courtyard, eyes are drawn to the great golden chedi rising serenely at the center, encircled by the ordination hall and the viharn, linked through galleries tiled with shimmering benjarong porcelain. The harmony of symmetry and design lends the temple grounds a garden-like serenity, as though art itself breathes within these sacred walls.
The ordination hall reveals a masterful blend of Thai and European design — a roof adorned with gilded tiles and wing-like gables, while inside, golden vine patterns and murals of the Buddha’s life glimmer in quiet reverence. East and West converge seamlessly here, shaping a beauty both sacred and timeless.
Beside the ordination hall stands the viharn, enshrining Phra Pratheep Warothai, the serene Buddha in Mara Vichayaposture. The central chedi, clothed entirely in benjarong tiles, shelters more than 6,000 relics of the Buddha — a radiant heart of faith for all who come to pay homage.
Surrounding the chedi are smaller pavilions, a bell tower, a drum tower, and the royal pavilion once graced by the King during the Kathina ceremony. Each structure whispers of harmony between monarchy and religion, devotion and art, forming a symphony of spiritual grace.
Beyond the western wall unfolds the Royal Cemetery, a tranquil resting ground perfumed by frangipani blossoms. Four golden stupas — Sunandha Nusawari, Rangsivadhana, Saovabha Praditsathan, and Sukhumala Nimit — rise in serene alignment, each a monument to royal love, remembrance, and reverence.
Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram stands not merely as a temple but as poetry carved in stone, faith shaped in gold, and history preserved in silence. A true gem of Rattanakosin, where the wind drifts softly through time and the soul finds peace beneath the gilded sky.
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