The sound of bells, time and cable cars across the river
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Wat Niwet Thammaprawat Ratchaworawihan — The Sound of Bells, Time, and Cable Cars
Visiting Time: 11:00 AM The sun is starting to shine, but the mood is still calm.
On the canal bank in front of Bang Pa-In Palace, there is a temple hidden in the middle of an island — you have to take a cable car across the water to get there, like crossing from the ordinary world to a land where time moves slowly.
When your feet touch the temple grounds at 11:00 AM, the sun may be stronger than usual in the late morning, but the shade of the light cream-colored Gothic building creates a strangely cool and shady atmosphere, like walking in a European church, but with a hint of the peaceful scent of Buddhism.
Wat Niwet Thammaprawat Ratchaworawihan was built during the reign of King Chulalongkorn around 1878. He had the idea to build this temple as the main temple of Bang Pa-In Palace and ordered it to be built in the Gothic style — stained glass, tall towers, and pointed spires, like a church in the West. But inside, it is quiet with the Buddha statue in royal regalia enshrined in the chapel.
The chapel is built in Christian art style, tall and beautifully decorated with stained glass windows and elegantly rowed pillars. But inside, there is a Thai Buddha statue called “Phra Phutthanirumala Thammaphas” — a clever fusion of East and West, comparable to a poem written in a Western pen but with the rhythmic breathing of a Siamese monk.
The temple is quiet, with no bustling tourists, suitable for strolling, meditating, or just sitting and looking at the canal to calm the mind. Traveling here in the late morning is ideal — because there are not many people, the sunlight shines through the stained glass beautifully, and there is enough time for half a day to listen to your inner voice.
If you have a heart that loves to enjoy the strange but beautiful beauty of the roots of Thai culture, “Wat Niwet Thammaprawat” is a destination that you should visit at least once in your life — especially if you arrive in the morning when the sun is not too strong, you will feel like time has stopped at that stained glass window...
Anyone who has ever thought that Buddhist temples must have pagoda spires and curved eaves — must stand here and understand that “faith” does not always have to be in the same shape.