Wat Ratcha Orasaram Ratchaworawiharn is a first class royal monastery which has existed since the Ayutthaya period. The Temple's original name was Wat Chom Thong and King Rama II renamed it to Wat Ratcha Orot, which means the temple was renovated by Ratcha Orot or "the King's son" who was later crowned King Rama III.

The story of the Temple's renovation is auspicious and begins when King Rama II's son was a prince preparing for war with Burmese in Kanchanaburi Province. On the march to war, the Army neared the temple and stayed there overnight. The Prince officiated a religious ceremony called the Brahmin's Ceremony, a blessing to warriors who are going to war. 

During his stay at the Temple the prince was told by the Temple's Abbot he had foreseen an auspicious outcome to the campaign and that the Prince will win the war and come back safely. The Prince promised that, if he had victory in the war, he would come back to renovate the temple and following the victory, he ordered the entire temple restored.
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The Prince favored the Chinese style art and had the artisans renovating the Temple combine Thai and Chinese architectural and artistic work for the temple's restoration.  The combination of styles can be seen throughout the temple grounds.  

There are 9 Royal Temples in Bangkok, each dedicated to a King in the Chakri Dynasty (to whom the current King is from).  There is a tradition in Thailand to visit these Temples during the Songkhran period (Thai New Year) all in one day.  This is suppose to give good luck for the upcoming year.  At the bottom of this post there is a Google Map showing the locations of each of the 9 Royal Temples.   Also, each of the Temples below has links to an expanded description of each of the temples.  

Seven of the 9 temples are found within the "Oldtown" Area of Bangkok (the area surrounding the Grand Palace). That is a good starting point to start your adventure of finding the 9 royal Temples. Wat Ratcha Orasaram is located on the Chomburi side of the Chao Phraya River and Wat Param Kao is located off of Rama IX Road. 

​Use the "Thailand Destination Direction Guide" to help you navigate to your desired destination.

Follow the "Explore Thailand" link to easily explore Thailand Travel Explorer Blog's. 

Follow the "Explore Thailand" link to easily explore Thailand Travel Explorer Blog's. 

Wat Benchamabophit (commonly called Wat Ben) was constructed in 1899 at the request of King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V).  The Temple was located near King Chulalongkorn's Palace following the construction of his own palace nearby. The Temple most notable feature is the stunning Italian Marble used in its construction and a collection of 52 Buddha Images that surround the main Temple area.

​Follow the "Explore Thailand" link to easily explore Thailand Travel Explorer Blog's. 

Wat Ratchabophit is a Buddhist temple located in on Atsadang Road, Bangkok, along Khlong Lot, not far from Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. The temple was built during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), however the temple is dedicated King Rama VII.

The Temple most notable feature is the golden chedi which stands 43m high and is covered with orange-coloured tiles and on top of the chedi, there is a golden ball.  The chedi is reported to house a relic of Buddha.

Wat Ratchabophit​ is also adjacent to the Royal Cemetery Mausoleum which is to the west of the temple grounds.  The cemetery contains numerous monuments to major and minor members of the Royal Family, most notably those in the immediate family of King Chulalongkorn. ​

Wat Ratchapadit is a small temple originally built in 1864 on a former coffee plantation.   The temple is dedicated to King Rama IV who bought the plantation to build the temple for the people living in the Grand Palace to give them a place to practice Dhammayutika Nikaya  meditation near their residences.   Dhammayutika Nikaya is an austere order of Buddhism founded by King Rama IV himself.
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The temple is currently under renovation and much of the small temple grounds are not accessible. 

​Follow the "Explore Thailand" link to easily explore Thailand Travel Explorer Blog's. 

The videos below is of birds in the garden, I hope you enjoy.

The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre is located on Rama I Road across from the MBK Mall and adjacent to National Stadium BTS Station, making a visit very easy. This Allows you to take a break from shopping to visit the Centre and enjoy both the art and the activities that are continuously ongoing. The centre opened in July 2008 and my first opportunity to visit was in 2010 and it was not disappointing. The facilities are amazing as I was very impressed with the very modern and very open architecture of the building.  I walked the whole building to look at the art on exhibits throughout the centre. There are often exhibitions displaying Thai modern art.  The Centre often allows photographing of some of the art showing at the centre and some of these are shown below.  Please take time in your trip to enjoy the Centre.

To learn more about the current exhibits go to this link for the Centre.