Wat Saket and The Golden Mount

In the evening, Wat Saket looks like a glowing castle hovering over Bangkok. From a distance the gleaming gold chedi appears as the conical tower of a fortress, conjuring a Fantasyland image.
 
In reality, it is a Buddhist Temple that sits atop what is known as The Golden Mount. A steep and winding staircase will take the visitor to a terrace at the top that offers some of the best views of Bangkok.
 
Wat Saket is a spiritual place where you will find people meditating and making offerings. Buddhist monks, in their orange robes, frequent the terrace. There is a small gift shop selling trinkets and ice cream.
 

To be sure, The Golden Mount is an artificial hill. In the early nineteenth century, King Rama III commissioned a large chedi to be built here using materials from the ruined walls of Ayutthaya, the former capital. The soil proved to be too soft and the chedi collapsed. For fifty years it sat undisturbed as Thai law states that a Buddhist structure cannot be destroyed. As shrubbery and vegetation began to grow around the structure, it began to look like a hill. King Rama V decided to fortify the hill and build a more sensible-sized chedi atop, and that is what exists today.
 
In addition to The Golden Mount and it's landmark chedi, there are also other structures on the temple grounds such as a chapel, ordination hall and library. ♠