Wat Paknam Bhasi Charoen was founded in 1610 CE when Ayutthaya was capital of Thailand and it received support from Thai kings until the late nineteenth century. Wat Paknam has an international presence with Buddhists globally. Since the early 1900s the wat has been dedicated to education and meditation. At its peak, 500 monks and hundreds of mae chi (nuns) were affiliated with the temple. Since 2005 Wat Paknam has been a center for people to register as organ donors. Free health check-ups are available to the local community.
Wat Paknam established branches in Thailand, the United States, New Zealand, India and Japan. After the 2011 tsunami and 2016 earthquakes in Japan the Wat Paknam branch there provided shelter and a medical center staffed by Thai personnel.
The temple complex is very large, encompassing 32,000 square meters (7.9 acres).
In 2004 an initiative began to build a gigantic stupa named “Maharatchamongkhon,” meaning “a blessed and great land” and refers to the Royal Family to which the stupa is dedicated. The stupa is 80 meters (260 feet) tall, with five floors accessible to visitors.
Inside of the stupa is another stupa made of glass that stands eight meters tall. Both the glass stupa and the room that surrounds it are mesmerizing.
In 2017 Wat Paknam began building a Buddha image in honor of Luang Pu Sodh, who was abbot of the wat from 1916 until his death in 1959, and the Thai Royal Family. The image is 69 meters (226 feet) tall and 40 meters (130 feet) wide. It is reported that the image is entirely made of bronze.
Finally, some photos taken from the observation deck of the stupa.
Source: Wikipedia
