The Lost Lotteries (ปฏิบัติการกู้หวย) is a movie directed by Prueksa Amaruji that tells the story of an everyday part of life -in this case, “Lottery Ticket”. The story is delivered in the form of a heist-comedy film. Most of the scenes were filmed in Bangkok to show the local way of blue-collar workers who are united by the life-changing hope of winning the lottery. These workers typically rely on temples and sacred items to give them peace of mind, and Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen is one of the locations featured in the film.
Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen is a royal temple of the mid-Ayutthaya period. Famous for the “Buddha Dhammakaya Thep Mongkol”, a giant bronze buddha statue as tall as a 20-story building that was built because Phramongkolthepmuni (Sodh Candasaro), a former abbot who was highly respected by Thais saw this statue in his dream. This is Bangkok’s largest buddha statue and the 4th largest one in Thailand.
Buddha Dhammakaya Thep Mongkol is a meditation posture buddha image with a lotus bud-shaped head. Standing 69 meters tall and 40 meters wide, it is made from 99.99% pure copper and was finished in mid-2021 after almost 4 years of construction. The statue has become a landmark of Bangkok and a place that Thai Buddhists should visit for merit-making at least once in their lives.
Apart from the giant buddha statue, Wat Paknam is also home to “Phra Maha Chedi Maha Ratchamongkhon”, an 80-meter-tall white chedi standing in the temple complex. Featuring a combination of early Rattanakosin Era and Lanna (Northern Thailand) styles, this chedi consists of 5 levels as follows:
1st Floor: A museum exhibiting ancient artifacts.
2nd Floor: Meditation and important ceremonies area.
3rd Floor: Somdej Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn (Somdej Chuang) Museum. Somdej Chuang was an abbot at Wat Paknam.
4th Floor: An exhibition hall of the life-size Phramongkolthepmuni (Sodh Candasaro) golden statue.
5th Floor: An exhibition hall of the world’s first glass chedi, built from 800-layer glasses standing 8 feet tall.
For visitors who want to visit Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen for merit-making, we recommend taking a guided longtail boat to enjoy the scenery and experience the way of life of the locals. From the boat, visitors will see the Giant Statue from different angles. As Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen is connected to the Bhasicharoen canal, you can also get off the boat to enter the temple easily.
Most cruises are chartered, and you can contact local people directly around the pier. Along the way, you will see the by-the-canal community and stop by for another highlight of the cruise: food at local vendors selling roasted chicken, papaya salad, grilled meatballs, and many more.
Visitors who want to have a canal cruise experience can take the BTS to Wutthakat station (Exit 3), and then walk on to Wat Mai Yai Nui pier, where you can find guided boats by villagers. The cruise takes around 1 hour.
If it’s easier to take a BTS Skytrain to Talat Phlu Station, you can take a minibus from there straight to Wat Paknam. You can also take the subway to Bang Phai MRT station and ride a taxi bike to the temple.
