Wat Benchama-bo-bitr in Bangkok

Benchama-bo-bitr, popularly called the Marble Temple, is one of the loveliest wats in Bangkok. It was erected in about 1899 by King Rama V (Chulalongkorn), the snow-white marble being shipped to Thailand from Tuscany in Italy. Thais also refer to the wat as "The Wat of the Fifth King", Rama V, crowned soon after his 20th birthday, having spent part of 1873 as a "bikkhu" (monk) in the old monastery south of the temple.



Most unusually the compound is entered neither through a gate in a wall nor a wiharn, being separated from the street only by ornamental railings and an expanse of lawn. The boundary on the south side, between the temple and the monks' quarters, is also unusual, taking the form of a moat.

The temple

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has a triple-tiered roof of Chinese glazed tiles. The little pavilions, matching the temple in color and style, the red and gold curved bridges, and the green of the many trees, all play their part in creating a modern building perfectly in keeping with Thai tradition and style. King Chulalongkorn took a personal interest in many of the details while his half-brother Prince Naris, the accomplished architect, was on site for almost the entire period of construction.