The Kuan Yu Shrine, Bangkok - the warrior god on the Chao Phraya
The Kuan Yu Shrine is dedicated to the ancient Chinese god of
war, a legacy of the early Chinese immigrants who settled in the
village of Bangkok during the Ayutthaya era.
Located on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya, the shrine is
just behind the Princess Mother Memorial Park, near the twin
Memorial and Phra Pok Klao Bridges. From a comparison with old
pictures, it's apparent that the old shrine has been completely
renovated.
The present Kuan Yu Shrine is in an octagonal pavilion under a
pagoda roof with a praetorian guard of dragons, the symbol of
the emperor, strength and wisdom. Dragons glide down the roof,
coil round the pillars within the shrine and the ornamental
lamppost outside.
Kuan Yu, an ancient Chinese general in the 2nd and 3rd
centuries, played a pivotal role in the civil wars among the
warring kingdoms of China. The best-known general in Chinese
history, he is immortalized in the Chinese classic Romance of
the Three Kingdoms, an epic tale spanning 113 years and 120
chapters!
Set in a tumultuous period in Chinese history (168