Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan is a Buddhist temple (Wat

Wat

A wat is a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos. The word "wat" means "school".- Introduction :...

) in Pom Prap Sattru Phai

Pom Prap Sattru Phai

Pom Prap Sattru Phai is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Neighboring districts are Dusit, Ratchathewi, Pathum Wan, Bang Rak, Samphanthawong, and Phra Nakhon.-History:...

 district, Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

.

The temple dates back to Ayutthaya era

Ayutthaya kingdom

Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese , Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the...

, when it was called Wat Sakae. King Rama I renovated the temple and renamed it to Wat Saket.

Phu Khao Thong

Phu Khao Thong (Golden mountain) is a steep hill inside the Wat Saket compound. It is not a natural outcrop, but an artificial hill.

During the reign of King Rama III (1787–1851) the decision was made to build a Chedi

Stupa

A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....

of huge dimensions to add to the Wat Saket temple. However, the large Chedi collapsed during the construction process because the soft soil beneath would not support it. The resulting mud-and-brick hillock was left alone for about half a century, taking the shape of a natural hill and becoming overgrown with weeds. Since then it looked like a natural small mountain it received its name of "Phu Khao" (ภูเขา) at that time.

Finally under King Rama IV, a small Chedi was built on the hilltop. This smaller structure was finished under King Rama V (1853–1910), when a Buddha relic from India was housed in the Chedi.
In the 1940s the surrounding concrete walls were built to prevent the hill from eroding. The Wat Saket was built in the early 20th century of Carrara marble.

There is an important festival at Wat Saket every November that includes a beautiful candle

Candle

A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...

light procession up Phu Khao Thong.

Phu Khao Thong has become a popular tourist attraction in Bangkok, but the rest of the Wat Saket temple area is much less visited.

See also

• Sumeru
  Sumeru
  Sumeru or Sineru is the name of the central world-mountain in Buddhist cosmology. Etymologically, the proper name of the mountain is Meru , to which is added the approbatory prefix su-, resulting in the meaning "excellent Meru" or "wonderful Meru".The concept of Sumeru is closely related to the...
  
  
• Mandala (Southeast Asian history)
  Mandala (Southeast Asian history)
  Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". The mandala is a model for describing the patterns of diffuse political power in early Southeast Asian history when local power was more important...
  
  
• Wat Si Saket
  Wat Si Saket
  Wat Si Saket is a Buddhist wat in Vientiane, Laos. It is situated on Lan Xang Road, on the corner with Setthathirat Road, to the northwest of Haw Phra Kaew, which formerly held the Emerald Buddha.-Overview:...