Wat Traimit (The Golden Buddha)

Wat Traimit, at the eastern end of Chinatown, is home to the Golden Buddha: a seated Buddha image of solid gold, around three metres tall and weighing roughly 5.5 tonnes. It's a short visit, but it has one of the best stories of any temple in Bangkok.

For centuries the statue was covered in plaster, almost certainly to hide it from invaders, and no one knew what was underneath. In the 1950s, while it was being moved, the plaster cracked and the gold was revealed. Fragments of the plaster are on display in the temple.

The story of the Golden Buddha

The statue is in the Sukhothai style, which suggests it was made around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have been covered in plaster and coloured glass during the Ayutthaya period to protect it, and its true material was then forgotten.

In the early 20th century the plastered statue sat in an old temple in Bangkok, and it was later moved to Wat Traimit. In 1955, while it was being lifted into a new building, it fell; the plaster cracked, and the gold showed through. When the plaster was removed, the statue turned out to be made in several sections that fit together.

That's the version given by the temple and most accounts. Details such as exact dates and how the statue fell vary between sources, so treat them as the traditional story rather than settled history.

What to see

• The Golden Buddha sits in the top hall of a white, four-storey building (the Phra Maha Mondop), finished in 2009. Expect a crowd around the image itself; it's a working place of worship.
• The heritage exhibition on the lower floors covers the history of Bangkok's Chinese community and Yaowarat, with models and dioramas. It's a good primer before walking Chinatown. It charges separately, and listings say it closes on Mondays.
• The view from the terrace over the rooftops of Chinatown.

Tickets

Recent listings give 40 THB for the Golden Buddha hall and 100 THB for the heritage exhibition, for foreign visitors; we couldn't find an official price list, and some older guides give different figures. Most listings give hours of about 8am to 5pm.

Dress and etiquette

Shoulders and knees covered. Take your shoes off before entering the hall, and don't point your feet towards the Buddha image when you sit.

Getting there

• MRT Blue Line to Hua Lamphong — about five minutes on foot.
• MRT to Wat Mangkon puts you on Charoen Krung Road at the other end of Yaowarat; walk east to the temple.

A Chinatown morning, in order

1. Wat Traimit at opening, before tour groups.
2. Yaowarat Road west on foot — mostly shuttered in the morning, but the gold shops and Chinese medicine stores are open.
3. Sampeng Lane, the narrow wholesale market running parallel to Yaowarat, for a crush of cheap goods.
4. Talat Noi by the river for old shophouses, mechanics' workshops and street art.
5. Lunch at a long-running shophouse, then rest through the afternoon heat and come back for Yaowarat at night.

How to fit it in

Wat Traimit takes 30–45 minutes, so it works best as the start of a Chinatown day: the Golden Buddha in the morning, then Sampeng Lane, Talat Noi and lunch, with Yaowarat Road for street food after dark. See the Chinatown guide.

• Bangkok Chinatown (Yaowarat)Chinatown is two places: a hectic wholesale district by day and one of the world's great street-food streets by night. Plan for both.
• Best Temples in BangkokYou don't need to see ten temples. You need to see the right three, in the right order, and maybe one quiet one where you can actually sit down.