Wat Bowonniwet Vihara is a first class Royal Buddhist monastery (raja wara maha vihara) of the Dhammayut tradition, located on the northeast side of Bangkoks Ratanakosin island, just inside the old city wall bordering Banglumpoo canal, on Pra Sumeru road. The monasterys name comes from the Pali language: Pavara+niwesa and translates as the Excellent Abode Monastery.
It is a major Buddhist temple in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is a center of the Thammayut Nikaya school of Thai Theravada Buddhism and has been a major temple of patronage for the Chakri dynasty. It is the shrine-hall of Phra Phutthachinasri (พระพุทธชินสีห์) which was moulded in about 1357.
There have been six abbots from the beginning to the present, three of whom have been Supreme Patriarchs. The former abbots after King Mongkut were: 2) Somdet Pra Maha Samana Chao Krom Phraya Pavares Variyalongkorn (Phra Ong Chao Rerk), the second abbot from 1851 – 1892, 3) Somdet Pra Maha Samana Chao Krom Phraya Vajiranyanavarorassa (Phra Ong Chao Manussanagmanop), the third abbot from 1892 – 1921, 4) Somdet Pra Sangharaj Chao Krom Luang Vajiranyanavongse (Mom Rajawong Chuen Nopavongse), fourth abbot from 1921 – 1958, and 5) Phra Prommuni (Pin, Suvaco), fifth abbot from 1958 – 1961.
His Holiness Somdet Pra Nyanasamvara (Charoen, Suvaddhano), Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, is the present abbot.
Before the arrival of Venerable Vajiranyano, the area presently occupied by Wat Bowonniwet was actually two different monasteries separated by a canal — Wat Mai to the north and Wat Rangsee Suddhawas to the south. As Wat Mai was abbotless, King Rama III (1824-1851) requested the Prince Bhikkhu to take over as abbot in 1836. Later, during the reign of king Rama VI (1910-1925), the two monasteries were incorporated into one, resulting in the temples present dimensions.
Website : http://www.watbowon.org
