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Eight months, countless kilometers and a cold winter in Greece later, we have decided to get our dusty backpacks out of the closet again and spend the winter in warmer climes. The first steps through the noisy, crowded and colorful Bangkok felt quite familiar, as we had already been to the vibrant metropolis a few years ago. Back then, however, we were still a little greener behind the ears, as the trip to Thailand was our first long-distance trip. As we had already seen all the more well-known sights on our first visit, this time we had enough time for the somewhat less well-known buildings in Bangkok.
One of these is Wat Benchamabophit in the Dusit district and every traveler to Thailand comes into contact with this temple during their stay. However, most of them only do so unconsciously, as its outline adorns the reverse of the 5 baht coin. But these do not do justice to the real building. The temple also stands out from the rest of the city's facilities at first glance. White marble from Italy adorns the façade, so it is not called the Marble Temple for nothing.
At the entrance to Wat Ben, as it is also known colloquially, the entrance fee of 50 baht (~ €1.30) per person must be paid. There are also some signs indicating the dress code, as shorts and off-the-shoulder tops should be left at home in the wardrobe. The facility is open from 8 am to 5 pm. The fact that this is a sight that is not visited by everyone becomes clear at lunchtime at the latest, as even then there are only a few people on the grounds.
In the main building of the temple, which was built in the 19th century, there is a statue of Buddha depicted in a special Indian pose, which in simple terms is supposed to represent the defeat of the demon Mara. Shortly behind it, in a covered gallery, 50 Buddha statues are lined up next to each other. Each of them represents a different gesture. However, several years passed before the collection was complete, as the king had three conditions for the statues. In addition to the artistic value and the diversity of the figures, they also had to be the same size. The last point, however, presented a real challenge. The available originals that fulfilled the first two conditions were so different in size that copies were sometimes made.
In our opinion, Wat Ben is definitely worth a visit and is unfairly ranked in the second row of Bangkok sights. Past the guardian lions, the colorfully decorated paths lead us back out onto the hectic streets of the city. And hectic is the perfect keyword for our next destination. Chinatown!
