The official name of the temple is Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram วัดเบญจมบพิตรดุสิตวนาราม, which means “the Monastery of the fifth King near Dusit Palace”, the fifth King being King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). It is classified as a first class Royal temple.
Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaran is often referred to by Bangkok locals as Wat Ben but most visitors may know it better as the Marble Temple. One of Thailand’s most famous temples, Wat Benchamabophit was featured on the back of Thailand’s 5 Baht coins.
Construction of the temple began in 1899 at the request of King Chulalongkorn after building his palace nearby. It was designed by Prince Naris, a half-brother of the king, and is built of Italian marble. This temple was built on the site of an Ayutthaya period temple and was known as Wat Laem or Wat Sai Thong.
Wat Benchamabophit is not heavily promoted as a tourist destination like Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, it tends to draw a ...
Xianse Temple, also known as Sanchong Xianse Temple or Wugu Xiandi Temple, stands as a cherished historic landmark in Sanchong District of New Taipei City.
This mixed Buddhist-Taoist temple primarily venerates Shennong, the legendary Divine Farmer and Emperor of Agriculture and Medicine, who is revered for teaching ancient people the arts of farming and herbal healing.
Its serene presence near the MRT Xianse Temple Station offers visitors a peaceful glimpse into Taiwan’s agricultural heritage and immigrant history, with exquisite traditional architecture that has earned it recognition as a New Taipei City-designated historic site.
The temple’s story dates back to the mid-18th century during the Qing Dynasty. Around 1745, immigrants from Quanzhou in Fujian Province began reclaiming land in the flood-prone Taipei Basin area. By 1755, they erected a simple thatched shrine to Shennong, seeking blessings for bountiful harvests.
Over the decades, repeated flooding prompted relocations, and the ...
The National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine 國民革命忠烈祠 is a shrine in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan, dedicated to the war dead of the Republic of China.
Built on Chingshan Mountain and overseeing the Keelung River in Taipei's Zhongshan District in 1969, the Martyrs' Shrine recalls the architecture of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing's Forbidden City. The structure houses the spirit tablets of about 390,000 persons killed, among other engagements, during the Xinhai Revolution, Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War, and the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises.
A changing of the honor guard from the various branches of the Republic of China Military, similar to the rituals at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, take place at the shrine every hour from 9:00-5:00 pm.
Although the Martyrs' Shrine is located in Taiwan, most of the soldiers were born in mainland China. Taiwan was ruled by Japan throughout World War II, ...
The National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine 國民革命忠烈祠 is a shrine in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan, dedicated to the war dead of the Republic of China.
Built on Chingshan Mountain and overseeing the Keelung River in Taipei's Zhongshan District in 1969, the Martyrs' Shrine recalls the architecture of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing's Forbidden City. The structure houses the spirit tablets of about 390,000 persons killed, among other engagements, during the Xinhai Revolution, Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War, and the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises.
A changing of the honor guard from the various branches of the Republic of China Military, similar to the rituals at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, take place at the shrine every hour from 9:00-5:00 pm.
Although the Martyrs' Shrine is located in Taiwan, most of the soldiers were born in mainland China. Taiwan was ruled by Japan throughout World War II, ...
