Dragon Lotus 龙莲寺

Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, also known as Wat Leng Noei Yi or Lónglián Sì (龙莲寺) in Mandarin Chinese, is the most important Chinese temple in Bangkok, and the spiritual center for the Chinese-Thai community living in and around Yaowarat Road. It's name means "Dragon Lotus Temple", and it dates back to the late 19th century. The entrance of the temple is in a little courtyard on a side street off of Yaowarat Road, and is kind of hard to find!

the temple entrance

Unlike the majority of temples in Thailand which are dedicated to Theravada Buddhism (the Southern Tradition), the Chinese temple is Mahayana Buddhist (of the Northern Tradition). There are several subtle differences between the two traditions, which I don't know, but aesthetically a Theravada and Mahayana temple are noticeably different, as are the customs and rituals you'll see there.

merit-making supplies

At a Theravada temple, you might find statues of Hindu deities such as Brahma or Ganesha alongside statues of the Buddha. At a Mahayana temple, there are shrines to the traditional Chinese Taoist gods.

statues of Taoist gods

The Dragon Lotus Temple is dedicated to the triple Chinese spiritual tradition of Mahayana Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, which are worshiped harmoniously together. Or so I understand. The truth is, I know very little about Theravada Buddhism, and less about Mahayana!

burning incense

In any case, it's an interesting place to visit when passing through Yaowarat Road, if only to see a unique aspect of Chinese-Thai culture in the heart of Chinatown.

monks