Thailand: Bangkok’s Wat Saket and the Golden Mount

Date: January 19, 2023

I began my day covering some Hindu shrines in Sukhumvit before walking to Phetchaburi Road via Ratchdamri Road. My plan now was to head to Wat Saket, a popular temple in Bangkok that I had never been to before.

The fastest and cheapest way to get from the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok to Wat Saket is to take the San Saeb canal boat taxi service. I boarded a boat from Pratunam pier.

San Saeb canal ferry Bangkok Thailand — See the video blog at the end for instructions on how to get to the boat station

Saen Saep canal boat Bangkok — A ticket from Pratunam pier to the Wat Saket stop costs ฿14 (₹31/$0.38/€35)

Khlong Saen Saep ferry stop Bangkok — The boat made stops at a few stations but each stop is barely a minute long

Saen Saep canal Bangkok Thailand — It took just around 15 minutes to get to my destination

Taking a taxi post lunch, on any day, would have easily taken you more than 30 minutes — just to get out of the Sukhumvit traffic. So I highly recommend taking the canal boat service to get to the Old Bangkok side!

Maha Nak bridge Bangkok — After disembarking, I walked up and crossed this bridge

Old shops Pom Prap Sattru Phai Bangkok — I was in the ‘Old Town’ part of Bangkok city

Watch the video in the end to get a feel of the vibe in this part of Bangkok. It’s quite a contrast from the always busy Sukhumvit area.

Wat Saket Main entrance Bangkok — It’s a short walk to Wat Saket’s main entrance

Wat Saket ticket counter Bangkok — You have to walk around to get to the ticket counter and the start of the climb

Wat Saket didn’t have a entry fee until recently. When I was there, it was 100 THB but I recently read they reduced it to 50 THB (₹113/$1.3/€1.2).

Pants and skirts for rent Wat Saket Bangkok — By the way, Wat Saket, like most Thai temples has a dress code

So if you show up in shorts or sleeveless tops, then you will be asked to cover up. You may either rent pants and sarongs for 50THB or buy them for 150THB (₹340/$4.1/€3.7).

Bamiyan Museum Wat Saket Bangkok — Before climbing up the hill, I decided to check the small Bamiyan Museum

Bamiyan is a valley in Afghanistan, which used to house the largest Buddha statues ever carved into rock. That was until the Taliban blew up the centuries-old statues in 2001, because idol worshiping is considered haram under Islam. It was a cultural tragedy.

The mini museum inside Wat Saket was built to honour the destroyed heritage.

A Norwegian businessman named Martin Schøyen collected many relics and manuscripts from Bamiyan and donated some of them to this museum.

Bodhi scriptures Wat Saket — The museum showcases ancient Bodhi scriptures (dating 5th-6th century) that were saved

Bamiyan Buddha statue replica Bangkok — Inside the artificial cave, they built a replica of the statue that was blown up by the Taliban (although it was never this intricate)

Check out the video in the end to see what it was like inside the museum.

I decided to go uphill now.

Wat Saket steps climbing uphill Bangkok — Be prepared to climb 344 steps

The initial hundred steps is lined with plants, trees and some artificial waterfalls — all beautifully landscaped. So even though there is an entry fee for tourists, the money is at least going towards good maintenance.

Wat Saket gong Bangkok Thailand — There were stops mid-way if you want to take a break

I even saw a coffee shop mid-way!

Buddhist monk Wat Saket Bangkok Thailand — Speakers have been placed along the steps, which plays sermons from monks

Bangkok skyline Wat Saket view Thailand — Wat Saket is nearly 80 feet high, so a visit here is good for a panoramic view of Bangkok’s skyline in the distance

Inside Wat Saket prayer hall Bangkok — Once you reach the end of the steps, you enter the indoor prayer hall

Inside, you find different idols of Buddha and prayer rooms on all four sides.

Drinks vending machines Wat Saket Thailand — You can show your entry ticket and collect a free bottle of water or soft drink from the left

But this prayer hall is not the absolute top of Wat Saket. You have to climb up another set of stairs and get to the rooftop. And here is where you finally get up close to the ‘Golden Mount’.

Wat Saket golden mount pagoda Thailand — This golden stupa on top of the hill is what Wat Saket is famous for

Golden Mount Wat Saket Bangkok — In Thai, a stupa is called *chedi*. It claims to enshrine Buddha’s relics received from India.

When I looked that up, the relics were dug up from the hill of an old stupa in Kapilavastu — which is now in Nepal’s Lumbini province.

Wat Saket angel statue jade Bangkok — They had more than one of these statues up here

Angel green statue Wat Saket Thailand — But the work done on them was nice

Tourists gong Wat Saket Bangkok Thailand — Tourists were getting their “foreign culture” photos

Ferry terminal Wat Saket viewpoint Bangkok — You can see the canal stop where I got down at earlier

Golden Mount temple exit Bangkok — After I had filmed enough from the top, I decided to head back down

While climbing up and down, I felt static shocks touching the staircase handle bars. I don’t know if it was just me, as I was holding an electronic device all day — but just a heads up.

Lotus Wat Saket temple pond Thailand — Some lotuses I saw in an artificial pond

Going down Wat Saket Bangkok — The climb down was easy

Wat Saket temple bells Thailand — I left Wat Saket

Despite this being my 8th visit to Bangkok (including overnight layovers), this was my first visit to Wat Saket, one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. Although there were enough tourists when I visited, I’ve seen busier temples in Bangkok. In a way that’s a good thing. I highly recommend a visit to Wat Saket. It’s different from the other Buddhist temples you’ll see dotted across Thailand’s capital and offers a unique experience.

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