Leng Buai Ia Shrine, Bangkok曼谷龙尾古庙

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

Thailand · Bangkok · Samphanthawong District · Yaowarat Soi 6, within the old market, Talat Kao

Coordinates

13.7419, 100.5092 Map ↗

First built

1843 · The bell inscription "the twenty-third year of Daoguang" provides a reliable earliest date; a plaque inside the shrine instead gives 1658, but without corroboration, and this remains uncertain

Overview

Leng Buai Ia Shrine was founded by Teochew merchants in the old market (Talat Kao) of Bangkok's Chinatown, and is one of the oldest surviving Chinese temples in Bangkok. It is dedicated chiefly to Lord Leng Buai Ia and his consort, with Guandi and Mazu (Empress of Heaven) also enshrined. The shrine holds an old bell from the Daoguang era, three plaques from the Kangxi era, and an incense burner bestowed by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) — important physical evidence of the early southward migration of Teochew Chinese. The building is in the classic Teochew style, with glazed-tile roofing, ceramic coiled-dragon ridge ornaments, and stone pillars carved with coiling dragons. Teochew merchants frequently came here to pray for business fortune and connections. Two accounts exist for its founding date: a plaque inside the shrine gives 1658, though without corroborating evidence, while the inscription on the shrine's bell, "the twenty-third year of Daoguang" (1843), is the earliest date that can currently be confirmed; this entry follows the latter.

Highlights

• One of the oldest surviving Chinese temples in Bangkok
• Holds an old Daoguang-era bell and three Kangxi-era plaques
• An incense burner bestowed by King Chulalongkorn
• Classic Teochew architecture: ceramic coiled dragons and dragon-carved stone pillars