{{Short description|Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox religious building | name = Wat Saket Ratchawora Mahawihan | native_name = '''วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร (วัดสระเกศ)''' | image = วัดสระเกศ-2.jpg | image_upright = | alt = | caption = The courtyard of Wat Saket, with the Golden Mount visible in the background. | map_type = Thailand Bangkok | map_size = | map_alt = | map_caption = | location = Boripat Road, Khwaeng [[Ban Bat]], Khet [[Pom Prap Sattru Phai]], [[Bangkok]] 10100 | coordinates = {{coord|13|45|14|N|100|30|30|E}} | religious_affiliation = [[Theravada]] [[Buddhism]] | deity = | country = [[Thailand]] | functional_status = | website = {{url|https://www.facebook.com/watsraket}} | architecture_type = [[Architecture of Thailand|Thai Architecture]] | founded_by = | year_completed = Unknown (believed to be [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Ayutthaya]] period;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wat360.com/en/temple.php?wat_name=watsrakesa|title=WAT SRAKESA|work=WAT360|access-date=19 September 2019|archive-date=29 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129205913/http://wat360.com/en/temple.php?wat_name=watsrakesa|url-status=dead}}</ref> renovated many times during the Rattanakosin period) }}
'''Wat Saket Ratchawora Mahawihan''' ({{langx|th|วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร}}), commonly known as Wat Saket, is a Buddhist temple (''[[wat]]'') in the [[Pom Prap Sattru Phai district]] of [[Bangkok]], Thailand.
The temple dates back to the [[Ayutthaya kingdom|Ayutthaya period]], when it was known as Wat Sakae (วัดสะแก). When Bangkok became the capital, King [[Rama I]] (1737–1809) renovated the temple and bestowed its present name (literally meaning "to wash the hair"). According to tradition, the king stopped here to bathe and wash his hair upon returning from war, before entering the [[Rattanakosin Island|inner city]].<ref name=ci>{{cite web|url=https://www.thairath.co.th/newspaper/columns/1086852|work=Thairath|date=2017-10-03|access-date=2019-09-19|language=th|title=หมุดหมายแห่งสระเกศ|first=Kilane|last=Pralongchoeng|trans-title=Placemark of Saket}}</ref>
==Phu Khao Thong== [[File:Chedi inside Wat Saket in Bangkok.png|thumb|left|Chedi inside Wat Saket before it collapsed]] ''Phu Khao Thong'' (“Golden Mountain”, {{lang|th|ภูเขาทอง}}) is a steep artificial hill inside the Wat Saket compound.
Rama I's grandson, King [[Rama III]] (1788–1851), decided to build a [[stupa|chedi]] of huge dimensions inside Wat Saket, but the chedi collapsed during construction because the soft soil of Bangkok could not support the weight. Over the next few decades, the abandoned mud-and-brick structure acquired the shape of a natural hill and was overgrown with weeds.<ref name="Rangan">{{cite news |last1=Datta |first1=Rangan |title=Wat Saket and the Golden Mount — a stunning architectural marvel in Bangkok |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/places/wat-saket-and-the-golden-mount-a-stunning-architectural-marvel-in-bangkok/cid/1932772 |access-date=26 October 2023 |agency=My Kolkata |publisher=The Telegraph |date=27 April 2023}}</ref> The locals called it the ''phu khao'' (ภูเขา, 'mountain'), as if it was a natural feature.<ref>[https://dlxs.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=sea;cc=sea;sid=fd258f1374ff0bf467cbfbf937e68f4e;rgn=full%20text;idno=sea141;view=image;seq=14 Old photo (around 1900) of dilapidated prang from the collection of Cornell University Library] (last access 2009-09-24).</ref> During that time, it also functioned as a lookout tower for soldiers concerned about the arrival of enemy armies.
During the reign of King [[Rama IV]], construction began of a small chedi on the hill. It was completed early in the reign of his son, King [[Rama V]] (1853–1910) and sanctified by being covered in a layer of gold.<ref>{{cite book |last=Walsh |first=John |title=Bangkok City |date=2009 |publisher=International Affairs Division, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration |isbn=978-974-16-8598-1 |edition= |page=}}</ref> A relic of the Buddha was brought from Sri Lanka by Prince [[Prisdang|Pritsadang]] and placed in the chedi.<ref>{{cite book |last=McDaniel |first=Justin Thomas |year=2011 |title=The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand|publisher=Columbia University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pZg7AAAAQBAJ&q=Buddha+relic&pg=PT186|isbn=9780231527545 }}</ref> The surrounding concrete walls were added in the 1940s to stop the hill from eroding.<ref>[http://wikimapia.org/11129/Temple-of-the-Golden-Mount-or-Phu-Khao-Thong-%E0%B8%A0%E0%B8%B9%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87 Wikimapia: Temple of the Golden Mount or Phu Khao Thong (ภูเขาทอง) -Bangkok (Krungthep)]</ref> The modern Wat Saket was built in the early 20th century using [[Carrara marble]].<ref>Norwich 2001, p. 266</ref>
An annual festival is held at Wat Saket every November, featuring a [[candle]]light procession up Phu Khao Thong to the chedi,<ref>Emmons 2008, p. 64</ref> which is wrapped in a long red robe—just like the "Hae Pha Khuen That" (แห่ผ้าขึ้นธาตุ) festival at [[Wat Phra Mahathat]] in [[Nakhon Si Thammarat province]], southern Thailand. Devotees write their names and their family member's names on the robe and pray, believing that their wishes will be fulfilled. This tradition has been observed since the reign of King Rama V.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mgronline.com/travel/detail/9620000105776|work=[[ASTV Manager]]|date=2019-11-07|access-date=2019-11-10|language=th|title="ห่มผ้าแดงภูเขาทอง" พิธีศักดิ์สิทธิ์ สิริมงคลสูงล้น ปฏิบัติสืบสานตั้งแต่สมัย ร.๕|trans-title="Covering the red robe of the Golden Mount", a sacred ceremony high auspicious continuing from the reign of Rama V}}</ref>
At the same time, a grand [[Loi Krathong]] festival takes place at the temple, accompanied by sideshows and [[freak show|freak exhibit]]s such as ''[[Phi Krasue]]'' (ผีกระสือ; "a floating female ghost head with glowing entrails"), ''Dek Song Hua'' (เด็กสองหัว, "a two-headed child"), ''Mia Ngu'' (เมียงู, "the snake's wife"), or [[dunk tank|fun games]] like ''Sao Noi Tok Nam'' (สาวน้อยตกน้ำ, "the little girl falls into the water"), among others. The festival is well known among Bangkok residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/krashkraft/3049909040|title=sao noi tok nam|author=krashkraft|work=[[Flickr]]|date=9 November 2008}}</ref> The nearby [[Fort Mahakan]] community was once a hub of the [[firework]]s industry, but following the demolition of the fort and relocation of the community, the trading of fireworks has been banned.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/wat-saket-and-the-golden-mount |title= Wat Saket and the Golden Mount |author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date= |page= |publisher= Tourism Authority of Thailand |access-date= 8 March 2026 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/events/2019/11/07/where-to-float-your-krathongs-in-bangkok-2019/|title=WHERE TO FLOAT YOUR KRATHONGS IN BANGKOK 2019|date=2019-11-07|access-date=2019-11-09|first=Tappanai |last=Boonbandit|work=[[Khao Sod]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1398178/troops-at-mahakan-rattle-locals|work=[[Bangkok Post]]|title=Troops at Mahakan rattle locals|date=2018-01-18|access-date=2019-11-09|first=Ploenpote|last= Atthakor}}</ref>
Phu Khao Thong is now a popular Bangkok tourist attraction and has become a symbol of the city.
[[File:Bangkok City Panorama July 2019.jpg|400px|thumb|center|Panoramic view from the Golden Mountain]]
==Vultures of Wat Saket== {{multiple image | direction = vertical | width = | align = right | image1 = Cement Crematoria @ Wat Saket.png | alt1 = | caption1 = Cement crematorium near Wat Saket in the past (circa 1900); the black spots atop the crematorium are vultures waiting to eat the corpses. The crematorium was demolished to make way for the Men Pun intersection at the end of the [[Sommot Amon Mak Bridge|Sommot Amon Mak bridge]] | image2 = Thailand 52.jpg | alt2 = | caption2 = The vulture statues in memory of the cholera outbreaks, when the vultures ate the corpses }}
In the early [[Rattanakosin period]] (between the reigns of Rama I and Rama V), the [[Thai people|Siamese]] had a tradition of avoiding cremations within the [[Fortifications of Bangkok|city wall]]s, believing them to be inauspicious. Wat Saket, located outside the fortified area, thus became a frequent site for funerals. Corpses were carried through the [[Pratu Phi]], or 'ghost gate', to be cremated there.
In 1820, during the reign of King Rama II (1809–1824), a [[cholera]] [[1817–1824 cholera pandemic|outbreak]] spread from [[Penang]] to Bangkok, claiming over 30,000 lives in the capital. Wat Saket became the city's main receiving ground for the dead, alongside Wat Sangwet in [[Banglamphu]] and [[Wat Bophit Phimuk|Wat Choeng Lane]] in [[Sampheng]]. The sheer number of bodies overwhelmed the cremation facilities. Many corpses were left exposed in the monastery's open areas, attracting flocks of [[Old World vultures|vulture]]s that came to feed. Wat Saket effectively became a feeding ground for carrion birds. Cholera outbreaks recurred each dry season until the early reign of King Rama V. The most severe epidemic occurred in 1840 during King Rama III's reign, when one in ten people in Siam and its surroundings perished. The final major outbreak came in 1881, with hundreds dying each day.
The image of vultures circling above Wat Saket became a haunting symbol of death. The phrase ''Raeng Wat Saket'' (แร้งวัดสระเกศ, "vultures of Wat Saket") entered popular speech, often paired with ''Pret Wat Suthat'' (เปรตวัดสุทัศน์, "[[preta]] of [[Wat Suthat]]")—a likely reference to ghostly legends surrounding the temple's murals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://program.thaipbs.or.th/TruthNeverDies|work=[[Thai PBS]]|date=2019-09-18|access-date=2019-09-19|language=th|title=ความจริงไม่ตาย : ยักษ์วัดแจ้ง แร้งวัดสระเกศ เปรตวัดสุทัศน์|trans-title=Truth never dies : ogres of Wat Arun, vultures of Wat Saket, preta of Wat Suthat}}</ref><ref name=ci/><ref name="Rangan"/>
== Gallery == <gallery> File:Old Bangkok canals.gif|Historic photo of Wat Saket and Golden Mount during King Rama V's reign File:Bangkok-Wat Saket 1976-04-gje.jpg|The Golden Mount in 1976 File:Bangkok-Wat Saket 1976-08-Blick auf Bangkok-gje.jpg|Wat Saket in 1976 File:พระอุโบสถวัดสระเกศ2.jpg|The main Ordination hall (''[[ubosot]]'') File:0000009 - Wat Sraket Rajavaravihara 004.jpg|Wat Saket and [[Wat Ratchanatdaram]] File:(2022) วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร เขตป้อมปราบศัตรูพ่าย กรุงเทพมหานคร,Wat Saket Ratchaworamahawiharn,Bangkok (29).jpg|The Golden Mount in 2022 </gallery>
==See also== * [[History of Bangkok]] * [[Sumeru]] * [[Mandala (Southeast Asian history)]] * [[Wat Si Saket]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
==Sources== {{refbegin}} *{{Citation |last=Norwich |first=John Julius |year=2001 |title=Great architecture of the world |publisher=Da Capo Press Inc. |location=USA |isbn=0-306-81042-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oo2BjGYRIT0C&pg=PA266}} {{refend}}
==External links== {{commons category|Wat Saket}} * [http://image.hnol.net/c/2015-05/07/15/201505071554075341-2297216.jpg A photograph of the chedi under construction] c. 1865 by John Thompson<ref>{{cite book |last1=Piemmettawat |first1=Paisarn |title=Siam Through the Lens of John Thompson 1865-66 |date=2015 |publisher=River Books Press Ltd |isbn=9786167339511 |page=109 |edition=1}}</ref><ref>Citation error. See inline comment how to fix. {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/913761806 by a bug in VisualEditor and later identified by a bot. The original cite can be found at Special:Permalink/913761455 (or in a rev close to it) in either cite #6 or cite #1 - find and verify the cite and replace this template with it (1). [[User:GreenC_bot/Job_18]]}}</ref>
{{coord|13|45|14|N|100|30|30|E|type:landmark_region:TH|display=title}} {{Tourist attractions in Bangkok}} [[Category:Buddhist temples in Bangkok|Saket]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Bangkok]] [[Category:Pom Prap Sattru Phai district]] [[Category:Thai Theravada Buddhist temples and monasteries]] [[Category:Registered ancient monuments in Bangkok]]