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We never planned on visiting Wat Indraviharn when we were in Bangkok, Thailand. In fact, we had never even heard of it. But that soon changed when we found ourselves on our 20 Baht tuk tuk tour of the city.

As it turns out, Wat Indraviharn is a bit of a hangout for dodgy tuk tuk drivers who offer you great tours of Bangkok for only 20 Baht, that inevitably lead you to a few unexpected stops at jewellery and tailor shops. This is more of an annoyance than a scam, and if you find yourself on one of these “tours”, you will still see some interesting places. Wat Indraviharn will most likely be one of them.

The temple is not exactly old compared to others in the city, but is certainly interesting to explore, particularly with it’s 32m tall standing Buddha. The fact that Wat Indraviharn was also the very first temple that we saw in Thailand makes it a little more special to us. If you have already seen the extravagance of Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, then this temple may seem a little plain to you. Still, it is definitely worth checking out, and if you’re on a tuk tuk tour then you will probably find yourself there anyway. The following is a photo essay of Wat Indraviharn.

Standing Buddha at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

View of the standing Buddha from the temple entrance

Temple complex at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

Looking towards the ubosot (main shrine) from the central courtyard

Details at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

Details of a carving on the exterior of the ubosot

Carving at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

A carved statue at the entrance of the ubosot

Close up of tiles at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

A close up of some tiles on the exterior of the ubosot

Inside the main shrine at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

The interior of the ubosot is beautifully decorated

A Buddha statue at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

A Buddha statue

An offering plate at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

An offering plate at the shrine

A bell tower at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

A bell tower

Shrines and lanterns at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

Different shrines are located around the temple

Lanterns at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

Lanterns hang above the main courtyard. I imagine this would be beautiful at night.

A dog at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

A dog has a morning nap in the courtyard

Standing Buddha at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

The 32m tall standing Buddha

Flowers at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

Flowers decorate the courtyard

Lanterns at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

Close up of some lanterns

Standing Buddha at Wat Indraviharn in Bangkok, Thailand

The standing Buddha watches over the temple

If you’re in the area near West Banglamphu and Khao San Road, Wat Indraviharn is definitely worth checking out.

Do you know of any other interesting temples to see in Bangkok?