After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, King Taksin established Thonburi as Thailand’s third capital, which it remained for 15 years until Bangkok’s ascendance in 1782. Taksin spent most of his reign fighting rebel factions that coveted the throne, leaving time only late in his reign to embellish his city.
Wat Arun.
Peter Stuckings/Apa Publications
Thonburi, which means “Town of Riches”, remained a separate town until 1971, when it was incorporated into the Bangkok Metropolis. You can reach it by numerous bridges, the oldest of which is Memorial Bridge (Phra Buddha Yodfa). The area has only recently seen the growth of riverside condos and it has only a few high-end hotels, although these benefit from having views to the city across the river. Its tourist attractions are largely confined to the areas close to the old palace grounds. One of the most pleasing activities in Bangkok is a tour of Thonburi’s canals (for more information, click here).
Riverside food stall.
Avlxyz on flickr
The canals worth exploring include Khlong Bangkok Noi, which winds into Khlong Bangkok Yai downstream, as well as connecting to Khlong Om upstream. Once a source of fresh produce for local communities, the floating markets at Wat Sai and Taling Chan now function mainly as tourist souvenir stops, so much so that several similar markets have been revived in Bangkok. The further down the canals you venture, the narrower and calmer the waterway becomes. With rickety teak houses, vendors selling produce from boats, fishermen dangling rods out of windows and kids frolicking in the water, the sights along Thonburi’s canals are reminiscent of a more peaceful bygone era.
Canal and river cruising
The major canals are serviced by public longtail boats (see box). But as the experience can be hectic at certain times of the day – most commuters travel into the city in the mornings and return in the afternoons – it might be better to hire your own private longtail boat for a more leisurely exploration.
Getting from pier to pier along the Chao Phraya river is best on the Chao Phraya Express boats, which operate from the southern outskirts up to Nonthaburi in the north. For shuttling from one side of the river to the other, make use of the cheap cross-river ferries, which you can board at the many jetties close to the Chao Phraya Express boat piers (for more information, click here).
Tip
One of the best times to visit Wat Arun is late afternoon, when there are fewer visitors. Later, take the ferry across the river to Tha Tien pier where you will enjoy great sunset views of Wat Arun from the popular but rundown bar-shack called Poh on the wooden pier.
Detail of a porcelain-encrusted prang of Wat Arun.
Marcus Wilson Smith/Apa Publications
Wat Arun 1 [map]
Address: Thanon Arun Amarin
Tel: 0-2891 2185
Opening Hrs: daily 8.30am–5.30pm
Entrance Fee: charge
Transport: Wat Arun pier
Also known as The Temple of Dawn, this temple gets its confusing nickname – the sun actually sets, not rises, behind the temple – from the arrival of King Taksin, who led the remnants of the Siamese armies here in 1767 after their defeat by the Burmese in the siege of Ayutthaya. The king first viewed Wat Arun, at dawn, and chose the area, Thonburi, as the new capital of Siam.
Taksin incorporated the temple – then called Wat Magog – into his palace compound, renamed it Wat Jaeng (Temple of Dawn), and housed the greatly revered Emerald Buddha here. King Rama I later moved it to Wat Kaew, near the Grand Palace. Rama II (1809–24) officially changed Wat Arun’s name to Wat Arunratchatharam, and Rama IV (1851–68) later chose Wat Arunratchawararam.
After renovations of the temple by several kings of the Chakri dynasty, the main Khmer-style prang (spire) now stands at 79 metres (259ft). Rama III introduced the colourful fragments of porcelain that cover most of the temple’s exterior, recycling piles of broken ceramic that was leftover ballast from Chinese merchant ships. When builders ran out of porcelain the king asked his subjects to contribute broken crockery to complete the decoration. Artisans fashioned the pieces into flowers or used them to embellish the costumes of the gods and mythical figures that ring each tier.
Longtail Boat Tours
Some of the sights in this chapter are best visited by private longtail boat. Longtail boat operators (found at major piers like Tha Thien and Tha Chang) are notorious for overcharging tourists, so be prepared to bargain hard and set a price before embarking; B700–1000 an hour (per boat) is a rough guide. Discuss beforehand where you want to visit and how much time you want to spend at each place. Bear in mind that once underway, it may be difficult to switch itineraries as boat drivers speak little or no English. Ask for a slow ride so that photos can be taken and the scenery enjoyed. Sit near the front of the boat, away from the noisy rear engines.
The great prang represents the Hindu–Buddhist Mount Meru, home of the gods, with its 33 heavens. It is topped by a thunderbolt, the weapon of the Hindu god Indra. Four smaller prang stand at each corner of the temple, each with niches containing statues of Nayu, god of the wind, on horseback. Between the minor prang are four beautiful smaller towers, or mondop. In niches at the foot of each stairway, Buddha images portray the four key events of his life: birth, meditation (while sheltered by a seven-headed naga serpent), preaching to his first five disciples, and death/enlightenment. Mythical giants called yaksha, similar to those that protect Wat Phra Kaew, guard the complex.
Wat Rakhang’s Buddha statue.
Shutterstock
Wat Rakhang 2 [map]
Address: Thanon Arun Amarin
Tel: 0-2411 2255
Opening Hrs: daily 8.30am–5.30pm
Entrance Fee: charge
Transport: Sirirat pier
Further upriver, directly across from the Grand Palace complex, this temple has a lovely collection of bells. King Taksin liked the chime of the original temple bell and had it moved to Wat Phra Kaew, donating five bells as replacement.
Hidden at the rear of Wat Rakhang is the red-painted ho trai (wooden library), a three-part stilted building that King Rama I lived in as a monk before becoming king and when Thonburi was the capital. The late 18th-century building is considered an architectural gem and is decorated with murals from the Ramakien.
Numerous small bells hang from Wat Rakhang’s temple towers and gently chime in the afternoon breeze, adding a musical ambience to this riverside temple.
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The Museum of Forensic Medicine 3 [map]
Address: 2/F, Adulaydejvigrom Building, Sirirat Hospital, 2 Thanon Phrannok
Tel: 0-2419 7000
Opening Hrs: Mon–Fri 8.30am–4.30pm
Entrance Fee: charge
Transport: Sirirat pier
To the north of Wat Rakhang, several museums are located within the Siriraj Hospital complex, the best known of which is this one. Green arrows point the way from the hospital grounds to the museum, located on the 2nd floor of the Forensic Department. The stomach-churning exhibits are definitely not for the queasy. Mummified corpses of Thailand’s most notorious criminals, deformed foetuses in formaldehyde and a gallery of disturbing post-mortem photographs are among the exhibits here.
Shop
Between the Museum of Royal Barges and Wat Suwannaram, ask your boatman to stop at Ban Bu, where a short alley leads to a workshop making hand-beaten alms bowls called khan long hin. You can watch the process and buy these beautiful bronzeware items from around B700.
Santa Cruz Church.
Francis Dorai/Apa Publications
National Museum of Royal Barges 4 [map]
Address: Khlong Bangkok Noi, off Chao Phraya river, Thanon Arun Amarin
Tel: 0-2424 0004
Opening Hrs: daily 9am–5pm
Entrance Fee: charge (photography fee extra)
Transport: longtail boat to museum pier
On the north bank of the Khlong Bangkok Noi canal is the National Museum of Royal Barges. A crammed canal bank community nearby provides a stark contrast to the regal opulence of the wooden barges. The dry-dock warehouse displays eight vessels from a fleet of over 50 that are only put to sail on auspicious occasions.
Their last outing – to celebrate the king’s 80th birthday in 2007 – saw 2,000 oarsmen, musicians and guards in traditional dress sailing in a 52-barge procession to Wat Arun for a khatin ceremony, in which robes are presented to monks. Of the six barges displayed in dry dock here, pride of place goes to Suphannahongse (Golden Swan), named after the mythical steed of the Hindu god Brahma and in which the king travels on a gold-coloured throne. It’s 50 metres (164ft) long – the largest vessel in the world to be crafted from a single piece of wood. Barge processions date to the Ayutthaya period, but the original Suphannahongse was built in the reign of King Rama I (1782–1809). King Rama VI launched the current version in 1911.
Seven-headed naga, or serpent, adorning the prow of the Anatanaganaj barge at the Museum of Royal Barges.
Frances Dorai/Apa Publications
Also displayed are old figureheads from boats damaged by World War II Allied bombs aimed at the nearby Bangkok Noi Railway Station, which the Japanese used to ship supplies to and from western Thailand via the infamous Death Railway to Burma (for more information, click here). Around the museum are glass cases with models of traditional canal transport, Ayutthaya-era drawings, photos of barge construction and gold ornamental cloths that adorn the barges.
Wat Suwannaram 5 [map]
Address: 33 Charan Sanit Wong Soi 32
Tel: 0-2434 7790
Opening Hrs: daily 6am–5pm
Entrance Fee: free
Transport: longtail boat to wat’s pier
From the museum pier, it’s a five-minute boat journey up Khlong Bangkok Noi canal to this historic temple on the opposite bank to the museum. Have a look at the grand murals contained within Wat Suwannaram’s main building. If the building is locked, look for a monk, who may open the doors and windows to reveal the magnificent, if slightly deteriorated, paintings that tell the story of the Buddha’s previous 10 lives. The intricate artwork, which adorns every corner of the temple’s interior, was commissioned by King Rama III and is considered to be among the finest examples of 19th-century painting.
Buddha image at Wat Kalayanamit.
Jason Lang/Apa Publications
Wat Kalayanamit 6 [map]
Address: 371 Soi Wat Kanlaya
Tel: 0-2466 5018
Opening Hrs: daily 8am–5pm
Entrance Fee: free
Transport: Wat Arun pier
South of Wat Arun, at the mouth of Khlong Bangkok Yai canal, are two sights worth visiting. The first is this 19th-century temple with Chinese-style embellishments. Built at the behest of Rama III, the tall main viharn (sermon hall) contains an impressive seated Buddha image. This is the largest of its kind in the country, as is the large bronze bell in the grounds.
Santa Cruz Church 7 [map]
Address: 112 Thanon Thetsaban Soi 1
Opening Hrs: Mon–Sat 5–8pm, Sun 9am–8pm
Entrance Fee: free
Transport: Santa Cruz Church pier
From the temple head for Santa Cruz Church, the spire of which is visible from a couple of streets away. The pastel-coloured church, topped by an octagonal dome, has been rebuilt twice since it was first constructed in the 18th century. The present edifice dates from 1913. The neighbourhood surrounding the church was once part of a flourishing Portuguese district that migrated here after Ayutthaya was abandoned.