Wat Mangkon Kamalawat

Wat Mangkon Kamalawat stands on Charoen Krung Road in Bangkok's Chinatown, between Soi Charoen Krung 19 and 21, in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district. It is also known by its Chinese name, Wat Leng Noei Yi, meaning Dragon Lotus Temple.

The temple was founded around 1871 by a Chinese monk, Phra Archan Chin Wang Samathiwat, as a Mahayana Buddhist temple. King Chulalongkorn later gave it its Thai name, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, which also refers to the dragon and the lotus. It became the head temple of the Chinese Mahayana sangha in Thailand.

The layout follows Chinese temple design, with a gateway hall guarded by statues of the Four Heavenly Kings leading to the main ordination hall. Inside are three large gilded Buddha images representing the past, present and future, together with shrines to Chinese deities, Taoist figures and Bodhisattvas such as Guan Yin. The roofs carry ceramic dragons, and the air is usually heavy with incense from worshippers.

The temple is the focus of Chinatown's festivals. During Chinese New Year thousands of people come to pray for good fortune, and during the annual vegetarian festival in the ninth lunar month the surrounding streets fill with yellow flags and food stalls.

Entry is free and the temple is open daily. Wat Mangkon MRT station, opened in 2019, is named after the temple and stands a short walk away.

What are the opening hours? The temple is open every day from 8 am to 4 pm, and there is no admission charge. Mornings are usually quieter than the festival periods.

Walking in from Charoen Krung Road, you pass under a tiled gateway and enter the viharn, the sermon hall, where two guardian kings stand on each side of the entrance. Beyond lies the ordination hall with its gold-coloured main Buddha image, made in a blend of Thai and Chinese styles, with an altar for rites in front. Three pavilions at the rear are dedicated to Guan Yin, to the temple's founder and to the saint Lak Chao, and a gallery nearby holds gilded Buddha images with both hands raised in the gesture of reassurance. In the courtyard stands a furnace where worshippers burn paper money and offerings for their ancestors.

Temple sources differ on the founding year, giving 1871 or 1872. The founder is also remembered by his Chinese name, Sok Heng. The Chinatown area around the temple also holds Wat Bamphen Chin Phrot and the Thian Fah Foundation Hospital, two other landmarks of the Chinese community.