Wat Kanlayamit

One of the nine most sacred temples in Bangkok, this temple was built around 200 years ago by a rich Chinese nobleman and donated to King Rama III, who named it Wat Kanlayamit. The King commissioned a huge sitting Buddha image to be placed in a newly-built main hall, and King Rama IV later added a library for religious scriptures.

The main building is in Thai style, but most of the other buildings clearly show a Chinese influence on building style and decorations. map

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ABOUT THAILAND
Thailand in Brief Archeological evidence shows that the area that is now known as Thailand was inhabited as long as 500,000 years ago. The majority of Thai originates from the Tai peoples that migrated from south-west China. Originally living in tribes, later in city states, sometimes ruled by the Burmese or Khmer, sometimes subduing them, the states eventually joined forces in kingdoms.

The Sukhothai Kingdom (1238-1438) initiated the first contacts with the Portuguese who were stationed in Melaka, now Malaysia, at that time. Sukhothai later merged with the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1350-1767), during which time the capital Ayutthaya became very cosmopolitan with Portuguese, Dutch, French, Chinese and Japanese traders settling. After suffering defeat by the Burmese, King Taksin founded the Thonburi Kingdom (1768-1782), but because of ill health he was quickly replaced by his general Chakri who started the Rattanakosin Kingdom in 1782 on Rattanakosin Island in Bangkok. Thailand's current King Rama X is the 10th King of this dynasty.

Until WW II the country was called "Siam", Sanskrit for "dark brown", but the country was renamed "Prathet Thai", land of the Tai, after the major tribe in the country, in 1939.

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Wat Kanlayamit

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