Located not far from
Wat Saket, the Golden Mountain temple, Wat Suthat is one of the ten first class royal temples in Bangkok. Its construction was started by King Rama I in 1807. Then the construction and decorations were carried out under the reign of King Rama II but the temple was not completed until the reign of King Rama III in 1847. The full name of the temple is Wat Suthat Thep Wararam but everyone call it Wat Suthat.
This temple contains a statue of Buddha called Phra Sri Sakyamuni coming from Sukhothai province. On the lower terrace, there are 28 Chinese pagodas representing the 28 Buddhas born on earth. The murals inside the main chapel detail the 24 previous incarnations of Lord Buddha. They use the technique of Western painting with perspective, which is unique to this temple.
With their 21.15 meters high, between Wat Suthat and Bangkok City Hall, the two red pillars of the Giant Swing are quite impressive. The original Giant Swing dated from 1784 but it has been replaced by a new one in 2004.