Wat Mahathat and Thawon Watthu Building
Thawon Watthu Building is the old Hor Phra Samut Vajiravudh library, it is a building which King Rama V. graciously ordered the construction and had two purposes for the building. The first purpose was to have a place for the Mahanikai Monks to study. The King had ordered that Mahathat Witthayalai at Wat Mahathat Yuwarat Rangsarit be used for the Monks to study buy the King saw that it
was not spacious enough and another building was needed. The second purpose of this building was to commemorate his son, the crown prince Chaofa Maha Wachirunnahit who passed away in 1894, and according to tradition, a large Phra Meru Mat (Funeral Building) must be built as large as the rank of the deceased at Sanam Luang (The Royal Field). Nevertheless, The King saw that it
was the wastefulness to construct the building that it could not really be the permanent object for useful usage, but it was only the construction for temporary, and it would be demolished when the cremation had been done. Therefore, his majesty assigned Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Chaofa Kromphraya Naritsara Nuwattiwong as the director to construct the Thawon Watthu Building on
the area of Monk's residences in Wat Mahathat Yuwarat Rangsarit, in order to place the corpse of Chaofa Maha Wachirunnahit for religious ritual and the cremation as well. Once the cremation took place, The King would donate Thawon Watthu Builing to be The Sang Khik Senas to Mahathat Witthayalai. However, the construction was not completed in his reign, until the reign of
King Rama VI. that the construction was finished. His Majesty made the building a city library called Hor Phra Samut Samrap Phranakhon (City Library). And he came to open it officially on January 6, 1916. The fine arts department registered it to be The National Ancient Monument in 1977.
 
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Address 3 Maharat Road Phraborommaharatchawang Sub-District Phra Nakhon
Bangkok 10200
Opening Daily
Hours 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Admission Fee Free
Tel. (662) 221-5999, 222-7984, 222-1415
Fax. (662) 623-6284
 
From: Bangkok Tourist Bureau