Wat Benchamabophit

Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram, known as the Marble Temple, is a Buddhist temple in Dusit District, Bangkok, near Dusit Palace. Built between 1899 and 1911 under King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and designed by Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong, it is constructed from Italian Carrara marble. Notable for its elegant Thai-European architecture, gabled roofs and cloistered gallery with 52 Buddha images, it is a first-class Royal Temple and is depicted on the Thai five-baht coin.

Visitors can expect a serene temple compound centered on the marble ubosot (ordination hall) with multi-tiered roofs, gilded decoration and Italian marble courtyard. The cloister surrounding the ubosot displays 52 Buddha images in different mudras, a Bodhi tree, lion guardian statues at the entrance, and a canal-side setting with landscaped grounds. Inside the ubosot is a revered Phra Phuttha Chinnarat replica. Visitors can walk the cloister, view the architecture, observe merit-making and take photographs in the outer areas.

Commissioned by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1899 as part of the development of the Dusit Palace district and completed in 1911. Designed by Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong, half-brother of the King, the temple blends traditional Thai architecture with European influences and was built using Carrara marble imported from Italy. It was designated a first-class Royal Temple and remains an important example of late 19th-century Siamese architectural modernization.

A first-class Royal Temple (Wat Luang) and active Theravada Buddhist temple of high national importance. The ubosot houses a highly revered replica of Phra Phuttha Chinnarat and the temple's facade is depicted on the reverse of the Thai five-baht coin. The cloister's collection of 52 Buddha images serves as an educational display of Thai Buddhist iconography and the temple is a major site for merit-making and religious ceremonies.