Wat Mahabut (Mae Nak Phra Khanong)

Unclaimed

We visited the temple on Songkran day. There was a wonderful market on! The temple is home to a cool shrine dedicated to the ghost of a woman who died in childbirth. The temple is said to be a very lucky place, so naturally there are tons of lottery ticket vendors scattered throughout the grounds. This temple is worth a visit when travelling in Bangkok. It has a slightly different atmosphere to the other temples that I have visited.

A nice wat to visit because I was curious about the story of Mae Nak. It feels really spritual, and lots of pigeon haha

The shrine of Mae Nak stands next to Klong Phra Khanong, at Wat Mahabut, a large temple on Soi 77 off Sukhumvit Road (On Nut Road). The shrine is a low building under large trees with a roof that encompasses the tree trunks. The main shrine has several minor shrines around it. A beautiful young woman named Nak, who lived on the banks of the Phra Khanong canal, had an undying love for her husband, Mak. While Nak was pregnant, Mak was conscripted into the Thai Army and sent to war where he was seriously wounded (in some versions it is the Kengtung Wars, while others are not specific). While he was being nursed back to health in central Bangkok, Nak and their child both died during childbirth. But when Mak returned home, he found his loving wife and child waiting for him. Neighbors warned him that he was living with a ghost but he rebuffed them. One day, as Nak was preparing nam phrik, she dropped a lime off the porch. In her haste to retrieve it, she stretched her arm to an impossible length to pick it up from the ground below. Upon seeing this, Mak realized his wife was a ghost. That night, Mak sneaked out the house and fled with Nak in pursuit. According to Thai folklore, ghosts are afraid of sticky Blumea leaves so Mak hid behind a Blumea balsamifera (Thai: หนาด; pronounced nat) bush. He then ran into Wat Mahabut temple, which as holy ground, a ghost cannot enter. In her grief, Nak terrorized the people of Phra Khanong, furious at them for causing Mak to leave her. However, a powerful monk captured Nak's ghost; and after confining her in an earthen jar, threw it into the Phra Khanong canal. There are regional variations to the rest of the story. In one, an old couple new to Phra Khanong find the jar while fishing; in another two fishermen dredge up the jar. In both cases, Nak is freed when the jar is opened. In alternative versions, a venerable monk named Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phrommarangsi) defeats Nak by confining her spirit in the bone of her forehead and binds it to his waistband. Legend says the waistband is currently in the possession of the Thai royal family. Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, Prince of Chumphon, also claimed to have had the relic. In another, the monk assured Nak that in a future life she would be reunited with her beloved husband, so she voluntarily departed for the afterlife. (Wiki)

A nice place to spend time with family and friends, feeding fishes, pigeons and gaining merit for a better life. There are a lot of clothing shops and food vendors including a children's garden. Learn the traditions of Thai culture; how they pay homage to their spiritual teachers/revered monks to draw inspiration from their lives. Also learn why Thais bring cooked food for the monks. It is a fascinating place to visit any time of the day. If you are lucky you may catch a glimpse of Thai folklore dance performance which was brilliant.

being bangkok many times this is the first time visit wat mahabut temple，although the temple is not as huge than popular temple but is s must to visit most important i here for praying Mae Nak for blessing fortune。