Wat Kalayanamit

Wat Kalayanamit was founded in 1825 by a Chinese-descended noble who gave the land to Rama III, and its scale reflects Rama III's taste for Chinese-influenced monumentality. The viharn holds Phra Buddha Trai Rattananayok, known locally as Luang Pho To and by the Chinese community as Sam Po Kong, a seated Buddha about fifteen metres high that fills its hall almost completely - the effect from the doorway is of a building constructed around a statue rather than the other way round. It is the largest indoor seated Buddha in Bangkok. The temple also holds the largest bronze bell in Thailand. It sits in a stretch of the Thonburi bank with an unusual religious mix: the Portuguese-founded Santa Cruz church, a Chinese shrine and a mosque are all within a short walk, a legacy of the communities settled here after the fall of Ayutthaya. The area is reached by cross-river ferry.

What you actually see

• The seated Buddha - about fifteen metres, filling the hall it stands in.
• The bronze bell - the largest in Thailand.
• The Chinese influence - Rama III-period architecture and Sam Po Kong veneration.
• The mixed quarter - church, mosque and Chinese shrine within a short walk.

When to go

November to February. The cross-river ferry from Rachini pier runs frequently. An hour covers the temple; longer to walk the Kudi Chin quarter around it.

Honest expectations

Reached by ferry rather than road, which puts some people off. Temple dress code applies. The hall is dim and the statue difficult to photograph in full. Donations are pressed.

Nearby

Santa Cruz church and the Kudi Chin quarter are alongside; Wat Prayoon is downstream.