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The Bangkok 9 Wats in One Day Challenge

April 26, 2010 By James Clark 2 Comments

Bangkok’s reputation as a traffic clogged megalopolis overshadows the fact that Bangkok has more temples than any capital in Southeast Asia.

Bangkok is the seat of Thai Buddhism, and the grandest wats in Thailand are in the capital.

A popular way to visit the wats is to visit 9 temples in one day. In Thai the number nine also sounds like progress, so it has become a tradition for Thai’s to visit 9 in one day to bring good luck for the new year.

There are probably closer to 900 than 9 wats in Bangkok, but this is the 9 as listed at www.9wat.net, by the Tourism Thailand office.

9 Wat Map

I have seen other tour companies offer a different variation of wats to the one listed here. I personally would add Wat Traimit to the list. After all how can you go past a Wat with a 5.5 tonne 3.5 metre tall solid gold Buddha?

Most of the 9 Wats can be found in Ko Rattanakosin, which is the oldest part of Bangkok. This area has the most interesting historical sights, and it is nearby to the Banglamphu area, where Khao San Rd can be found (a popular area for backpackers in Bangkok).

Each wat has its own motto, and I have kept the translation as is.

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
Motto: Endless Wealth and Prosperity
Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Wat Bowornniwet Vihan
Motto: Receive the good things in life
Wat Bowornniwet Vihan

Wat Saket (Golden Mount)
Motto: Create auspicious vision
Wat Saket (Golden Mount)

Wat Pho
Motto: Calmness is happiness
Wat Pho

Wat Suthat Thepwararam
Motto: Enlarge your visions and fascinate surround people
Wat Suthat Thepwararam

Wat Chanasongkhram
Motto: Conquer all obstacles
Wat Chanasongkhram

Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn)
Motto: Have a prosperous life
Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn)

Wat Rakhang
Motto: To be admired and loved

Wat Kanlayanamit
Motto: Bon Voyage

And whily you’re at it, check out these inspiring Buddhist quotes.

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: bangkok, buddhism, temple, thailand, wat

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

Comments

  1. Brook Mitchell says

    April 28, 2010 at 8:24 pm

    Nice post – lots of work getting that looking so flash. No trouble getting around with the current drama?

    Reply
  2. Philip Nurick says

    May 1, 2010 at 6:16 am

    Great post ! It is interesting that when we were in Bangkok we mainly focussed on tuk tuk exhaust, and other pollution and noise, and then out of nowhere, gorgeous palaces. a lot of beauty in a city not always recognized for it.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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