Wat Chakrawat (The Crocodile Temple)

Temple in Bangkok

CC BY-SA 3.0 / CKasa

Wat Chakkrawat, also known by its full name Wat Chakkrawat Rachawat Woramahawihan , is a historic Buddhist monastery located in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Situated on the northwestern edge of the Samphanthawong district near the Chao Phraya River, it is a lesser-known yet culturally significant temple in the area, alongside the renowned Wat Traimit, which houses the world’s largest golden Buddha statue.

Originally called Wat Sam Pluem, this temple predates the construction of Yaowarat Road in 1892, with its roots tracing back over 200 years to the reign of King Rama I. During this time, the temple stood in the Sampheng area, which later became the residence of Chinese immigrants relocated from Tha Tian to make way for the construction of the Grand Palace. In the reign of King Rama III, Chaophraya Bodindecha undertook an extensive six-year renovation of the temple, including the construction of a canal for water from the temple’s pond. In 1825, the temple was elevated to the status of a royal temple and renamed Wat Chakkrawat.

One of the temple’s significant moments came when it housed the revered Buddha statue, Phra Bang, in its vihara. However, this statue was later returned to Luang Prabang in present-day Laos during King Rama IV’s reign and replaced by Phra Nak, brought from the Grand Palace. Another distinctive feature of Wat Chakkrawat is its crocodile pond. This dates back to World War II when a one-eyed crocodile, nicknamed I-bord Wat Sam Pluem (“the blind of Wat Sam Pluem”), became infamous for terrorizing locals. After a monk captured and cared for it in the temple’s pond, the crocodile’s story became a local legend, and its pond remains a curious attraction to this day.

The Wat Chakrawat (The Crocodile Temple) appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Bangkok!

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