Before Wat Phraya Krai stood a temple of the same name. It existed before 1801. This is Wat Phraya Krai. Can you picture it? A place of worship older than many of the buildings around us today. Wat Phraya Krai’s history is fascinating. It wasn’t always a subdistrict. It held a more significant spiritual role.
Phraya Shoduek Ratchasetthi a magnate named Boonma renovated Wat Phraya Krai. He served King Nangklao Rama III. He transformed it into a royal monastery. He renamed it Wat Chotanaram. A golden Buddha statue was enshrined there. It now resides in Wat Traimit in Chinatown. Wat Phraya Krai’s golden age was short-lived.
Wat Phraya Krai eventually fell into disrepair. It lacked patrons. The temple was abandoned. Its buildings crumbled. The land became available. The East Asiatic Company used it for its headquarters. Today that site is Asiatique The Riverfront. Wat Phraya Krai remains in name only as a subdistrict. You can still find reminders of it. The Watprayakrai Police Station and Wat Phraya Krai Post Office are named after the temple. They are the silent keepers of its legacy.
The area around Wat Phraya Krai once buzzed with activity. A thriving community lived and worked. It thrived in the shadow of its majestic temple. This is just a small part of Wat Phraya Krai’s story. The name lives on. The memory endures in the streets and buildings of Bangkok. Imagine the lives that unfolded near Wat Phraya Krai. What stories do the walls hold? What prayers echoed through its halls? This area holds more than just bricks and mortar. It holds history. It holds memory. It holds Wat Phraya Krai.