Saturday 15 November 2025
Wat Ratchanatdaram, The Iron Temple

After visiting Wat Pho, I negotiated with a tuk-tuk driver to take me to the Iron Temple, wait, then take me to the Marble Temple, wait, and finally take me to the nearest BTS Skytrain stop. Traffic in this part of Bangkok is dense and slow. We finally arrived at Wat Ratchanatdaram, the Iron Temple.

Wat Ratchanatdaram

The name Ratchanatdaram means Temple of the Royal Niece. The temple was built in 1846 under orders of King Rama III (King Nangklao) for his granddaughter, Princess Somanass Waddhanawathy. It is popularly known as Loha Prasat, meaning the iron palace or iron castle, thus the nickname the Iron Temple.

Wat Ratchanatdaram was not completed during the reign of King Rama III. Several attempts were made by King Rama III’s successors to complete it, but it was only in 1960, under King Rama IX, that construction was restarted. It was supervised by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand. In 1995, a Buddha relic was enshrined at the topmost spire of the Loha Parsat. In 2007, it was finally opened to the public.

There is no “grand entrance” to this temple. The structures are all close together, with little open space between them. And, even though this temple was opened to the public just 18 years ago, the main assembly hall is under renovation. I walked around, got a photo of the main structure with its dramatic roof. This is the photo seen in most articles about this temple online. And it is dramatic, but I suspect most of the photos seen online were taken by a drone, because I could not get a really good view of the roofline. Here is the best photo I got:

I could not find a way inside that structure. I did get behind the renovation netting on the main assembly hall to see (briefly) the large Buddha statue there. It is a striking view.

The outside of the assembly hall is under renovation, as can be seen in this photo:

This visit to what is considered an important temple was somewhat underwhelming.

Queen Mother Sirikit

Sirikit (August 12, 1932 – October 24, 2025) was Queen of Thailand from April 28, 1950 to October 13, 2016 as the wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX). She was the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn (King Rama X).

Sirikit was consort to the monarch who became the world’s longest-reigning head of state, so she held the distinction of being the world’s longest-serving queen consort. Sirikit suffered a stroke in 2012 and subsequently withdrew from public life. She passed away a few weeks ago on October 24, 2025 at the age of 93. Both Queen Sirikit and King Bhumibol Adulyadej were loved deeply by the Thai people because it was clear from their actions during their long reign that they held the best interests of the Thai people as their priority. Thailand is now in a year of official mourning for the loss of Queen Mother Sirikit. Her photo with a tribute is on large banners in many places, this one here on the temple grounds.

Next: One Day in Bangkok – 3 Wat Benchamabophit