Bangkok Noi | Lower Inner Thon Buri

The lower inner Thon Buri area is another old area of Bangkok that are the homes of historic neighborhood that consisis of historic attractions. The way of life of the people in the area is still authentic. Many ancient traditions has been practiced still by those decendents who have been living the area from generarion to generation. In the blog, you will learn about Khlong Bangkok Noi, Wat Rakhang Khositaram Wora Maha Vihara, Trok Matoom, Wongse Mula Vihara, Royal Thai Naval Dockyard Museum, Royal Barge National Museum, Siriraj Medical Museum, Siriraj Phimukhsthan Museum, Talad Wat Thong (Talad Suwannaram), Ban Bu, Ban Kao Mao, Wat Dusidaram Woravihara, Ansorissunna Mosque, and Wat Pa Choeng Lane.

Table of Contents

Khlong Bangkok Noi

Bangkok Noi Canal By Bangkok Post

The canal that was formerly a part of the Chao Phraya River, until the canalization from Bangkok Noi to Bangkok Yai took place from 1534 to 1545, the construction that was believed could shorten a day’s worth of traveling time. Then, the streams ran into the new canal, enlarged it and made it the new Chao Phraya River, while the old one decreased its size and became Khlong Bangkok Noi, Khlong Chak Phra, and Khlong Bangkok Yai. Khlong Bangkok Noi is the location of many cultural heritage and religious sites. It is the location of Ban Bu, Wat Si Sudaram, Wat Suvannaram, etc. The tranquility and tradition, which is rarely seen nowadays, are still lingering all around this place.

Wat Rakhang Khositaram Wora Maha Vihara

Wat Rakhang Khositaram was built in the Ayutthaya period, formerly named ‘Wat wa Yai’, and became the resident of the San in King Taksin’s period. Then, King Rama I saw the restoration of the temple and found Rakhang (the bell) with the beautiful voice. Therefore, the bell was moved to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, then, the five substitutions were made and housed in ho rakhang.

Wat Rakhang Khositaram

The temple was renamed ‘Wat Rakhang Kositaram’. The ubosot of Wat Rakhang Khositaram , built by the King’s order, housed ‘Phra Pratarn Yim Rabfa’. The mural was drawn by ‘Phra Wannawat Vijitra’, the master painter in King Rama VI’s period. Hotri (the library) is famous for its striking beauty. There is Golden Palace that once was the residence of bin and Phra Sangaratch (Si). Currently, Wat Rakht only the spiritual centre, but also the intersf nearby communities with the pathway to Trok Wang Lang and the Pier that links with Tha Chang.

Wang Lang Market

In the past, Wang Lang was a road of trade. Nowadays, it is a market with tenement houses near important place such as Siriraj hospital, Wat Rakhang Khositaram, Thammasart University (Tha Phra Chan), Silpakorn University (Wang Tha Phra), Bangkok Naval Base, Dockyard Department. It is a centre of cheap clothes both new and second-hand clothes. There are food and restaurants such as Esan restaurant in the middle of Soi Wang Lang. The unique aspect of the market is small pavement as same as original pavement in the past. At present, it is full of stall and barrow, so it is not convenient. The shops will be closed around 6-5 pm.

Trok Matoom

Trok Matoom by sentangsedtee

It was formerly named ‘Soi Suan Anan’. It is unknown when they began to grow bael fruits in the alley but people have been doing it ever since. Bael fruits are healthy.

The ripened fruits can be used as soft laxatives and they help with digestion. The trees are fruitful and ruits have hard shells. In the past not many peopple serve bael fruits. But later more and more people And bael fruits thus became the identity community.

Wongse Mula Vihara

It is a temple from the early Rattanakosin dynasty, built by the Krom Khun Tibes Bowon who used to live in Thon Buri Palace. It was built on the original residence of King Rama I when the King still held the position of Somdet Chao Phraya Mahakasat Suek. There were Buddhist images and monk houses. Presently there is only one ubosot left in the area that was given by the King. The main Buddhist image inside the ubosot is turned sideways to the main doorway unlike at other temples. This was done to avoid ill luck as originally the Buddhist image faced the door and also Krom Khun Tibes Bowon’s residence, it was believed that this caused him to fall ill numerous times. The ubosot has not been demolished, unlike the monk houses. The monks were moved to live in other temples in 1916. The temple has been under the care of Thai Navy until now,

Royal Thai Naval Dockyard Museum

The museum was established to commemorate the 7th Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhadej in 2011; to serve as a centre for learning knowledge in history, and development and industry of shipbuilding in Thailand. The exhibit features shipbuilding such as the process and technology of warship building, ship repair and maintenance, intellectual heritage of artisan, protection of national sovereignty over the sea, development of royal naval dockyard, including the building of the Narai Song Suban Royal Barge as well as the repair and preservation of the arges. Furthermore, the exhibit also present Majesty the King’s intelligence, creativity and royal grace regarding shipbuilding such as the initiative to coast guard vessels. The museum is situated in the laval Dockyard Department and it has been selected association of Siamese Architects under atronage to receive the 2014 Excellence Aw ctural Conservation, in the category of instital and public building.

Royal Barge National Museum

Formerly, the location of the Royal Barge National Museum was a dock or a store of the ceremonial barge under the responsibility of the Bureau of the Royal Household and Royal Thai Navy. During WWII, Bangkok Noi was targeted and parts of the dock and the barges were destroyed. Later BRH and the Royal Thai Navy ordered the Fine Arts Department to repair the destroyed barges. Presently some parts of the barges are still shown in the Royal Barge National Museum as a memorial of the War.

The Royal Barges are important with a long history. They were delicately created by the country’s great artists. For its importance, the Fine Arts Department registered it as a National Heritage and uplifted the dock to ‘the National Royal Barge Museum’ in 1974 to reserve this precious heritage for the next generation.

Siriraj Medical Museum

Museums in Siriraj Hospital were established purposefully for medical students to study, analyze and practice in their training course. Currently, there are six museums that open to the public: “Congdon Anatomical Museum” established in 1927 by Prof. Edgar Davidson Condon from Rockefeller Institute. The exhibitions include more than two thousand objects, such as fetus in development phases, abnormal bodies, etc.

“Ellis Pathological Museum”; “Sood Sangvichien Prehistoric Museum & Laboratory” exhibits human evolution; “Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum” exhibits the-related topics, forensic tools, evidences from n cases; “Parasitology Museum” exhibitsve als and parasites; and “Siriraj Phimukh Museum”, the recently established museum oion of Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital.

Siriraj Phimukhsthan Museum

Siriraj Phimukhsthan Museum

Siriraj Phimukhsthan Museum is a new museum of Siriraj Hospital, which was built by thoroughly converting reconstruction of the Bangkok Noi Train Station. At first sight, the museum welcomes visitors with traditional ticket booth, classic in style. The interior exhibits history and evolution of medicine in Thailand. Although it is the hospital museum, but apart from exhibitions regarding history of the hospital and development of medical treatment, there is an exhibition which narrates and informs the local history, insightful and complete in its contents.

The narration relays its message through a ruined fortress, an ancient wooden boat, as well as many artifacts, all of which were discovered by the time of the construction of Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital.

Shipwreck found buried undergrond during the museum construction

Because the site of the hospital was once ‘the Bowonstanpimuk Palace’ or ‘Wang Lang’ (the Rear Palace), the exhibition thus includes all of the historical traits intents to enhance the realistic presentations

Talad Wat Thong (Talad Suwannaram)

Talad Wat Thong

Wat Thong Market is more than a hundred yearIt was formerly located by Khlong Bangkok Noi. Later in 1924, it was moved to the present area. The distinctive point of the Talad Wat Thong is its architecture: a big building that has wooden poles and structure. The space was divided for each kind of product. If you look up at the roof, you will be fascinated by the curved crossbeams from one pole to the other. The curve was made of dozens of pieces of wood held together by iron pins. It can hold the load of the roof structure instead of a normal wooden beam.

This market is thus called ‘beamless market’. It is the delicate work of carpenters and shows the ancient wisdom. After this market started to dec with the passing years there has been an effort from the local people to breathe ife in to this old trading place so that que architecture of this place can stil conserved for future generations.

Talad Wat Thong

Ban Bu

The old local area, the location of around one hundred houses, has been known for its residents’ craft of making unique traditional bowls called ‘Khan Long Hin’ or ‘Khan Bu’ since the old time. According to the historical source from King Rama I|l’s period, the ancestors of Ban Bu’s residents came from Ayutthaya after the kingdom had fallen in 1767. Then, as gold-smiths and bronzesmiths, they built the village near Khlong Bangkok Noi and lived there for many generations. Their unique craft was inherited and the community became known as ‘Ban Bu’ (‘Bu’ represents the procedure of forming a bowl).

King Rama V once had visited Ban Bu and praised them for their ritual of paying respect to the master of craftworks, ‘Phra Phet Chalu Gandha’. The ritual will be performed once a year by aking offerings and a feast for nine monks. their works, craftsmen would salute the tools vices, which are called “Phra Pamon’. Stepping tools is strictly prohibited.

Ban Kao Mao

The old community that evacuated from Ayutthaya. Since the past, every household in the area has made Kao Mao (traditional dessert made by pounding unripe rice), necessary to religious rituals, for sale. They bought rice from Suphan Buri, Nakhon Chaisi and Ayutthaya. They also made other traditional desserts, such as, Kao Niao Daeng (red sticky rice), Kalamae, etc. As the popularity of traditional desserts declined, the other kinds disappeared and only Kao Niao Daeng and Kalamae (occasionally Krayasart in Songkran Festival) are available in market. Apart from that, Ban Kao Mao still retains the traditional way of life. In 2011, “Trok Kao Mao Local Museum” was established by the coordination of the abbot of Wat Sutthawat and people in the area, purposefully to archive historical resource and salvage local heritage such as traditional dessert recipes. There still are cooking demonstrations in traditional way for visitors who are interested. Paid for ingredients and you could taste the classic.

Wat Dusidaram Woravihara

Formerly named ‘Wat Sao Prakohn’, built in Ayutthaya period. Its hall, pillars and walls were built with red bricks. The upper parts are made from wood. The three-layered roof with chofah bairaka roofed with earthen-ware. Beyond it is decorated with traditional wooden patterns, depicting a deity holding a sword while sitting on an altar, with mirrors on two sides. Inside the Ubosot, on all sides of the wall is the mural by the masters in King Rama I’s period.

Mural painting’s Wat Dusidaram Woravihara

On the courtyard in front of the Ubosot of Wat Dusidaram Woravihara is located the golden Buddha image, built with lime, in standing gesture surrounded by terrace. On the wall of the old corridor placed the faded paintings of mountain, trees and monks who alternately sit and stood circularly.

Ansorissunna Mosque

Ansorissunna Mosque

It is the mosque of Muslims (Sunni) and it is the only one royal mosque in Thailand. It was located in Thon Buri train station. When the fifth reign wanted to build a railway, he gave the land on the opposite side, that is the old royal boat shed to build a new mosque. After the Great East Asia War period, mosque, schools and Muslim villages were blown up. Only a cemetery of the mosque remained. Some disciples of the Bangkok Noi Mosque, the Sri Charoon family and Petch Thongkam company built a new mosque together in 1949. Imam Tuan Abdullohman Hasun Krimi gave the name of the mosque ‘the Royal Mosque of Ansorissunna’. The architecture of the mosque is a half-Persia building. There is a half-circle dome tat is remarkable when you see it f the other side of Khlong Bangkok Noi

Wat Pa Choeng Lane

The temple’s name is the homonym of a mangrove forest that is its location. There are banyan trees around the temple. It was assumed that the temple was built in the Ayutthaya period. The pavilion in the midst of the pond housed Phra Buddha Siri Sattaratch with the statues of Luang Phu Mun Bhuridatta and Luang Phu Thet Thetrangsi, well-known monks in the Thai Forest Tradition from the north-east. Furthermore, the relics and bones of the two masters are also placed here.

The ubosot is covered with the shades of trees, and the old sema (the temple boundary marker) which was recently un-earthed surrounds the ubosot. The Buddhist image is housed inside, which only one from three remains. As there are still no roads leading to this temple it still retains its tranquility as befits a temple in the Thai Forest Tradition.

In short, the lower inner Thonburi is another historic area that consists of Bangkok’s hidden gems. The hidden gems that would amaze and showcases you the cultural heritage of Bangkok, Thailand that would be different from the mainstream attractions in the city. Hope you all enjoy exploring these off-the-beaten-track sites.

For more unique experience, follow us on our social media: Instragram