Wat Saket Ratchaworamahawihan
TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN MOUNT BANGKOK
King Mongkut (Rama IV) remarked 1865, he went to lay the foundation stone cod.that the main pagoda at Wat Srakesa should spent the entire period of his reign amendi-gnot have been left as a pile of bricks, so he the site. He named it ‘Borom Banpot’ or. had Phraya Sripipat (Pae Bunnag), as Chief intended to rename the temple from Wa Commander, and Praya Ratchasongkram, as Srakesa to Wat Chedibanpataram; howere, Craftman, reconstruct the base to form a hill his intention had not been fulfilled unti theand build a pagoda on the top with a terrace end of his reign. around it. In the sixth month of the year of Ox, The construction of the main pagoda in the reign of King Rama III
King Nang Klao (Rama III), with his royal in tention to build as great a pagoda as that of Wat Phu Khao Thong in Ayutthaya, remarkedthat Wat Srakesa compound was a suitable site, surrounded by canals as was Wat Phu Khao Thong in Ayutthayaremarkedthat Wat Srakesa compound was a suitable site, surrounded by canals as was Wat Phu Khao Thong in Ayutthaya. Therefore, he ordered Somdej Chao Phraya Borommahapichaiyad (Tat Bunnag) or Phraya Sripipatrattanarat-chakosa at that time as Chief Commander of the project to build an immense pagoda on a square base with 12 indented corners (3-indented edges on each corner). Each side of the base was measured 100 meters in length. In the royal annals of King Rama III,Rconstruction, to strengthen the base, the ground was dug to the depth of mud layer, and the logsfor rafts were used as piling and were laid to form a grid.Laterite blocks were placed one upon the other to the soil level.
Then bricks were lined up, and the inside was filled with rocks. When it came to the second tier on the south side, the tremendous weight of the pile of rocks made the base burst and drop down by 18 meters, and the outside covering bricks were broken, so King Nang Klao asked members of the royal family and his royal entourage in a royal Kathin ceremony to donate raft logs to strengthen the base, preventing it from being forced away by the sinking ground.
Thousands of logs were exploited, but the pagoda still subsided. It was then beyond amendment therefore, the construction had to be halted. King Mongkut (Rama IV) remarked that the main pagoda at Wat Srakesa shouldnot have been left as a pile of bricks,Chief so he had Phraya Sripipat (Pae Bunnag), Commander, and Praya Ratchasongkram, as reconstruct the base to form a hill Craftman, and build a pagoda on the top with a terracearound it.
In the sixth month of the year of Ox,1865, he went to lay the foundation stone and spent the entire period of his reign amending and the site. He named it ‘Borom Banpot’ intended to rename the temple from Wat Srakesa to Wat Chedibanpataram; however, end of his reign.
King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) had the construction process go on until it was completed in his reign. Later, when Chaka-padhipong Road was constructed, extending from Worachak Road, he had the canal in front of the temple covered up to construct a road and had a wall built in the east of the temple compound. This enabled access to the front of the temple from the main roadIt took a period of three reigning kings to complete the Golden Mount.
