Wat Buddhapadipa in London was the first Buddhist temple in the United Kingdom, established by the London Buddhist Temple Foundation with the objective of creating a centre for the dissemination of theoretical and practical Buddhist teachings in Europe.

This temple has been under the Royal Patronage since 1965 when it was originally located on Christ Church Road, Richmond. It was moved to its present site in Calonne Road, Wimbledon Parkside in 1976. With the support of the Royal Thai Government and the Thai people, the Foundation erected an "Ubosot", a Thai style building for monastic ceremonies. The celebration of monastic boundary, held on October 30, 1982, enabled Wat Buddhapadipa to become a formal temple according to Thai tradition: in fact, the only Thai temple ever built in Europe.

tags: london, building

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