The grand entrance to Wat Bhoman Khunaram.

The grand entrance to Wat Bhoman Khunaram.

I forget now how I stumbled into Wat Bhoman but for sure it was not introduced by one of my Thai friends. When I first went to Wat Bhoman, the location seemed far from the main city and taxi drivers do not know where this temple is. But now, the temple is surrounded by high rise buildings and it feels like it is not in the fringe of Bangkok anymore. Progress has caught up with the temple these past 20 years but ironically, nothing much has changed within the temple itself for the same period. I still love to walk barefoot around the main temple and to admire the lotus flowers and leaves pattern on the floor.

It may not be a coincidental that like the temple I found in Manila, Wat Bhoman also belongs to the Mahayana Sect. As I have been coming here for the last 20 years, I have considered this as my personal temple in Thailand and I try to visit whenever I am in Bangkok. It is very subdued compared to the Thai temples that is why perhaps I was drawn into it in the first place. Everything looks orderly, very clean and tidy. The peaceful atmosphere is palpable.

The main temple called 'ubosot' in Thai.

The main temple called 'ubusot' in Thai

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  Built in 1959 by a Chinese spiritual master who later became the temple’s first abbot, the Buddhist arts in this beautiful temple are a wonderful cross between Thai, Chinese, and Tibetan styles. The temple ground covers an area of 5 acres and the monastery was completed at a total construction cost of around 30 million baht. In 1970, HM King Bhumibol came to perform the raising of a tiered umbrella to be placed on the top of the main building of the temple. He also granted the placement of his royal initials above the entrance to the temple and named the principal Buddha Image “Phra Buddha Vachara Bodhikhun” in 1971.

The artistic prestige of Bhoman-Khunaram Temple is widely known and it is often referred to as the most beautiful and magnificent Chinese temple in Thailand and even in entire Southeast Asia.

The ornate roof and eaves of the main temple with the royal initials above the entrance.

The ornate roof and eaves of the main temple with the royal initial above the entrance.

The courtyard surrounding the main temple is paved with lotus design.

The courtyard surrounding the main temple is paved with lotus design.

Wat Bhoman is presently the center of the Chinese Order of Buddhist Monks in Thailand and is a sign of the continued progress and advancement in Buddhist learning.

Many Buddhist followers and tourists both domestic and foreign have have come to the temple to pay respect, to carry out their religious duties including the making of merits or simply to see and marvel at the exceptional beauty and serenity of the place.


Bhoman-Khunaram Temple (Thailand)