WAt Benjamabopit Dusitwanaram
(Wat Ben) , the Marble Temples, in located near Government House
and the Equestrian Statue of King Rama IV. It is an old temple during
from the Ayutthaya Period and was originally names Wat Laem or Wat
Saithong. During the reign of King Rama IV, the temple was restored
by five princes and renamed Wat Bejamabopit (five princes). In 1899
, King Rama V had the temple completely rebuilt and bestowed upon
it the name Wat Benjamabopit Dusitwanaram , meaning the Temple of
the Fifth King. He placed Prince Narissaranuwattiwong, the nation's
chief architect, in change of the design and construction.
The name Marble Temple derives from
the phra ubosot , which is square and completely covered with white
marble . In it is enshrined a reproduction of the Phra Buddhachinarat
image, which King Rama V had copied from the original in Phitsanulok
Province.
In the cloister extending from the
north, around the west, to the south of the phra ubosot , there
are 52 Buddha images of various styles and periods.
In the monastic residence area is
a royal ordination hall, which was reconstructed there after having
been moved from the Grand Palace. It was in this King Rama V lived
when he entered the monkhood. The murals in this building are of
historical interest, showing courtly customs and traditions during
the reigns of King Rama IV and Rama V.
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