Whenever someone asks me for a suggestion to shoot at a beautiful temple without the hoards of tourists, I immediately blurt out ‘Wat Hua Lamphong’. It’s extremely easy to get to because it sits right on top of the Sam Yan MRT Station, but most taxi drivers in Bangkok will know the name anyway. The cost for foreigners to enter is 40 baht each.
The thing with this temple is that it is raised and there is a nice wide staircase leading up to it – great for pictures. From up there you’re able to look around at the skyscrapers and down at the infamous Bangkok traffic below because of its location on the corner of one of Bangkok’s busiest streets. There’s also a mix of Buddhist images, Hindu Gods and Chinese saints scattered throughout for people of all backgrounds to come and pray and ask for advice and forgiveness.
Some Things To Do at Wat Hua Lamphong
There’s certain ‘activities’ to do to make merit at the temple. One of which, is to find out the day you were born (Monday – Sunday) and then pick up the corresponding coloured candle. You then light it with the provided lighter and say a little prayer. And right next to it is an running man-made stream with a Buddha image in the middle which you slowly lay the candle into and let it float around. This is believed to resemble, or represent, walking around the ordination hall of a temple.
Wat Hua Lamphong underwent a major renovation in 1996 to commemorate the golden jubilee of King Rama IX’s coronation. It has a certain charm to it without being over the top in terms of decoration like some of the other more well known Royal temples. There are many angles to photograph along and a few different levels to play with.
Donations for coffins
Around the side is the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, which is where visitors can actually donate money for coffins for other people. The recommended amount is 500 baht but of course it is up to your discretion. The whole premise of donating is to get good karma for a better next life. A lot of bodies that the foundation pick up at sites of accidents are unclaimed by relatives, so they rely on strangers compassion to help them with the bodies.
Content creator that focuses on high caliber photography and videos. Specializes in lifestyle, portrait, headshot and holiday photography. Tom has shot exclusively for Tourism Authority of Thailand and regional brands such as Heineken Asia, Avani Hotel and Genting Highlands Resorts. No client is too big or too small. He has a background in hospitality and looks forward to meeting new people from all around the world. Fluent in English and Thai.