In Bangkok Chinatown ,which is the largest oversea Chinese community in the world, the area has many Chinese shrines and temples scattered around the neighborhood. There are one Chinese shrine and one temple that I recommend to visit for blessing. These are Wat Mangkon Kamalawat and Tai Hong Kong Shrine.
Tai Hong Kong Shrine | The Shrine of Death Body Collector
Tai Hong Kong Shrine was constructed in 1910 to house the Tai Hong Kong statue which was transferred from China. Tai Hong Kong was a merciful Buddhist monk who performed funerals for unknown dead in the Song Dynasty period and was the founder of Tai Hong Kong body collector order to collect bodies and perform funerals for poor people.
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The order is Por Tek Tung Foundations’ ancestor. Tai Hong Kong is widely respected among Thai people of Chinese descent for centuries. It is believed that whoever worships Tai Hong Kong will be blessed and protected. Tai Hong Kong Shrine is always crowded during Chinese New Year.
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Wat Mangkon Kamalawat (Wat Leng Nei Yi)
Nearby you can also visit another holy and famous Chinese temple; Wat Mangkon Kamalawat or locally known by Chinese name as Wat Leng Nei Yi. The temple was built during the Rama V’s reign in 1861. It is a Chinese-Majayana temple with Teochiu-Chinese architecture, modelled after ancient Teochiu Palace.
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat is Bangkok’s first Chinese-Mahayana temple and famous among people of Chinese descent in Thailand and abroad. Waves of people come to worship Buddha, Bodhisattavas, and Chinese gods at the temple, especially on important traditional Chinese holidays.
During Covid 19 Photo credit Wat Mangkon Kamalawat Fan Page