Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan
Nineteenth-century Buddhist temple crowned by thirty-seven iron spires, the last surviving structure of its kind in the world.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Wat Ratchanatdaram in Bangkok follows King Rama III's attempt in 1846 to revive an ancient metal-castle architecture that had already vanished twice, in India and Sri Lanka. It traces the meaning behind the temple's thirty-seven iron spires, each standing for a quality on the path to enlightenment, and the long gap in construction after the king died before it was finished. Listen for how the project passed through generations before builders finally resumed work in 1960.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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