| Wat Bowaniwet Wihan | |
|---|---|
 The Chapel of Wat Bowonniwet Vihara | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | TheravadaBuddhism |
| Sect | Dhammayuttika Nikaya[1] |
| Location | |
| Country | Phra Nakhon district,Bangkok, Thailand |
  Location within Bangkok | |
| Coordinates | 13°45′37.2″N100°29′59.5″E / 13.760333°N 100.499861°E /13.760333; 100.499861 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Wat Bowaniwet Wihan Ratchaworawihan (Thai:วัดบวรนิเวศวิหารราชวรวิหาร;RTGS: Wat Bowon Niwet Wihan Ratchaworawihan,IPA:[wátbɔwɔːnníʔwêːtwíʔhǎːnrâːttɕʰawɔːráʔwíʔhǎːn]) is a majorBuddhisttemple (wat) inPhra Nakhon district,Bangkok,Thailand. Being the residence ofNyanasamvara Suvaddhana, the lateSupreme Patriarch of Thailand, it is the final resting place of two former kings ofChakri Dynasty:King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) andKing Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). The temple was established in 1824 byMahasakti Pol Sep, viceroy during the reign of KingRama III (r. 1824–51).[2]
The temple is a center of theThammayut Nikaya order ofThaiTheravada Buddhism, it is the shrine-hall ofPhra Phuttha Chinnasi (พระพุทธชินสีห์), a statue of theBuddha which dates to around 1357. Bowonniwet has been a major temple of patronage for the rulingChakri dynasty.[3] It is where many royal princes and kings studied and served their monkhood, including KingBhumibol[1] and his son, the present kingVajiralongkorn.
The goldenchedi at thewat's shrine carries the relics and ashes of Thai royals.[1] The twoviharas are closed to public.[clarification needed] The T-shapedbot holds a magnificentSukhothai-period Buddha, cast in 1257 CE to celebrate freedom from theKhmers.[1]
The murals on thebot's interior walls were traditionally light and limited in their subject matter and style. They were painted to appear three-dimensional.[1] Monk artistKhrua In Khong introduced Western style in the murals depicting Buddhist subjects.[1]
In 1836, PrinceBhikkhu Mongkut (ordination name:Vajirañāṇo) arrived at the temple and became its first abbot, founding the Thammayut Nikkaya order. He stayed at the temple for 27 years before acceding the throne ofSiam as KingRama IV.[4]
His great-grandson, KingBhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX; ordination name:Bhumibalo), was ordained a monk atWat Phra Kaew, and resided in Bowonniwet for 15 days in 1956. Bhumibol's mentor, Somdet PhraYanasangworn, eventually became abbot of the temple, and later theSupreme Patriarch of Thailand. In 1978, King Bhumibol's son, KingVajiralongkorn (Rama X; ordination name:Vajirālankaraṇo), was also ordained and spent 15 days at Bowonniwet. Several of his sons from his second wife,Yuvadhida Polpraserth, later did the same.[5]
In October 1976, exiled dictator and formerPrime Minister,Field MarshalThanom Kittikachorn, returned to Thailand as a novice monk to enter Bowonniwet. This sparked large public demonstrations and a bloody crackdown that became known as theThammasat University massacre or the "6 October Event".
| No. | Portrait | Name | Tenure from | Tenure until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 1836 | 1851 | |
| 2 |  |
| 1851 | 1892 |
| 3 | .jpg) |
| 1892 | 1921 |
| 4 | .jpg) |
| 1921 | 1958 |
| 5 | _in_1956.jpg) |
| 1958 | 1961 |
| 6 |  |
| 1961 | 2013 |
| 7 |  |
| 2015 | 2022 |
| 8 |
| 2023 | - |
_in_Wat_Bowonniwet_01.jpg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
