Buddhapadipa Temple

So beautiful visited with my mum and aunt last year for Thai New Year Songkran. There was music and dancing, blessings from the monks, Thai artifacts, ingredients and Jewellery for sale and the food. Oooh, the FOOD!!! Stalls and stalls and stalls of everything Thai. Real Thai food proper Isaan dishes like my Grandma used to make, Thai sausages I have never found outside of the country, authentic Thai tea ***sigh*** why can’t everyday be like this?
The temple is stunning and there is a lovely little garden/​park for walks. very serene on a non-​festival day.
Visiting again next weekend for Songkran hope to take more pictures you must visit it’s just gorgeous.

I fully agree with other positive reviews of this temple. It is extremely authentic with a large number of real monks and a separate prayer room /​shrine building. As noted by another reviewer, Sunday is indeed the best day to go here when it is very busy with lots of people coming to watch the monks eat their dinner and give gifts to the monks before everyone else together outside in the garden. The gardens are very beautiful /​serene with a lovely pond adding a real sense of tranquillity. No other temples in London can compare to this.

I’ve been coming to this temple since I was in the womb (I’m 26) and my Thai Buddhist mother has been coming here for over 30 years. As someone said this is a formal Thai Temple, but there are many many other Thai Temples around London and the UK. However, this is the only one that is backed by the Thai government.
The best day to come is a Sunday. From 1−4pm there is a Thai school for children wanting to learn the language, both speaking and reading/​writing — this is where I learnt to read and write Thai. There are loads of people you can mingle with and monks are always walking around and are available to talk whenever. They all speak English, although with the older head monk you may need to politely raise your voice a little so that he can hear you (bless him!).
There are no nuns residing in this temple, however each year men and women can become temporary monks and nuns for 2 weeks, and they live in the temple. This is tradition and is seen as doing a good thing. If someone in the family passes away young men will usually become a monk in honour of that person for a week or two.
I know this temple like the back of my hand, so now for a tour. As you enter the temple grounds there are 2 small cottages, the smallest one closest to the main road is home to a family who look after the temple and the monks, so don’t try to go inside! The bigger cottage is where you will find the monks’ quarters (upstairs — where the general public are not allowed). Downstairs you will find the kitchen, the Buddha room and the main dining area. Monks will have breakfast early in the morning, then lunch around midday. Once they have finished the public can then have their lunch (for free). many people who come to the temple will make food from home and bring this to share. The Buddha room is where you can go to sit or pray, but you are required to sit on the floor as sitting on a higher level than the Buddha figures (or standing over a sitting monk) is regarded as very disrespectful.
Further inside the temple is a bigger temple building. The front side has the entrance for a bigger Buddha room with amazing hand-​painted artwork on the walls and postacards to buy (cameras not permitted), and entering at the back brings you downstairs into a big hall. Both are available for the general public to view, and if the doors are locked you can simply ask a monk to open it for you.
Shoes are to be taken off when entering inside any of the temple buildings or cottages. This is partly for hygiene but also a Thai tradition, even when entering a Thai person’s house.
There is a pond which stretches out along the temple grounds with 3 small bridges for people to cross into the wooded area. This area used to be where my friends and I used to play, however nowadays it’s much more open and inviting. There are paths for people to walk along and plaques to read some nice Buddhist verses. There are also some small Buddha figures sitting around which you can make an offering to (something small like a stone or ribbon — you could also make a wish).
Twice a year Thai fesivals are held on the temple grounds. One in April to celebrate the Thai New Year (Songkran) and one in November (Loy Kratong). At both festivals there are stalls in the car park selling authentic Thai food from both restaurants and individuals. Food is delicious and well prepared (all stalls must have a basic food hygiene certificate). My mother used to have a stall and sometimes still sells at these festivals, her Thai sweets are infamous in the Thai community (she’s not the lady selling them at the back of her car, this lady is not permitted to have a stall at festivals. a hyginene warning about that’s lady’s sweets. check for ants in the boxed sweets — from personal experience). Admission is always free but during festival days parking is on the streets only, and even then you may find it difficult to find parking nearby. Best way to come is on the 93 bus which stops about 5 – 10 minutes away on the main road, coming from either Wimbledon or Putney.

On Sundays, in the car park is THE best place to get authentic Thai food in London.
For 5 pounds I got a bamboo shoot salad swimming in super-​spicy fermented fish sauce and decorated with mint leaves, plus a bag of sticky rice to help me with the heat. Seriously spicy. The real deal.
For a further 5 pounds I got two boxes of Thai desserts, including a mouthwatering box of banana custard and purple sticky rice. I could have spent a lot more… Isaan sausage, Northern sausage, Satays, Fried Fish… every tupperware box was so tempting.
The food sold here is the closest thing I’ve found in the UK to real Thai street-​food, but it is literally sold out of the boot of people’s cars. It’s stuff they’ve made at home and brought to share with Thai tongues.
Finding this is a foodie dream come true. Oh, and the temple is gorgeous too.

Wat Buddhapadipa is the only formal Thai temple in Europe. It’s also the largest temple in Europe.
I visited the temple during the Songkran New Year. Where they had service prayers to pray for your passing ancestors, offerings, and authentic Thai food. I really love the gardens with message of wisdom by the Uposatha Hall.
Since this is an official temple. There are libraries, living quarters for Buddhist monk and nuns. Shrine room, dining room. Like all Thai temples you’ll ornate roof top, murals of Buddha painted by the volunteers. Monks & nuns can speak both Thai and English.
So glad that I found a beautiful place.

Now not many of you may even realise that the UK’s first ever built buddhist temple was in Wimbledon, I certainly didn’t know it was there until I stumbled upon it by accident. This is one place everyone, religious or not should definately go. As soon as you walk through the ornate gates it’s like you’ve been transported off to ancient Asia. There are monks wandering the grounds, which are truly beautiful full of wildlife and fauna and so tranquil for the middle of London. Then right in the middle is this sharp in take of breath temple which is so amazingly detailed and ornate. It’s not disabled friendly as there’s lots of steps but it’s easy to appreciate it from outside ground level and is awe inspiring. There’s toilets on site disabled access is possible. It’s FREE to go there and really worth the drive on a lazy sunny afternoon.
To visit the Temple, the nearest mainline station is Wimbledon and then take the 93 bus towards Putney. Alight at stop at common. Alternately
use District line to Putney Bridge where the 93 bus can be taken towards Cheam again alight at common stop. (just after Parkside hospital) alternatively if you are driving there is plenty of local free parking.