Temples
Glittering gold, beautiful well-kept buildings.
Visitors must dress appropriately with shoulders
and legs covered. Shoes must be taken off
before entering the building. There are toilet
facilities at all of the buildings.
Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
This is Bangkok's largest temple. The
huge 46 metre gold leaf reclining Buddha
with inlaid mother-of-pearl soles is highly
revered among Buddhists. The feet of the
Buddha statue are three meters long and are
decorated with the laksanas or characteristics
of Lord Buddha, depicted in mother of pearl.
In addition to the temple itself, Wat Pho’s
compound contains a beautifully designed
garden complete with fountains, statues and
tiny trees as well as a massage centre. People
travel to the massage school at Wat Pho from
all over Thailand to study the art of massage
from the famous instructors here and gain
the much coveted certificate, which allows
them to practice massage all over the world.
Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn)
Believed to be the oldest temple in Bangkok,
the 16th century Wat Arun in one of the most dramatic
attractions on the Chao Phraya River. Originally
known as Wat Makok or the Olive Temple, It
is surrounded by stone prangs and guarded
by two gigantic demons known as yaksha. The
80 metre high central prang is decorated
by pieces of porcelain, which were dumped
on the banks of the Chao Phraya River by
trading boats in the times when Bangkok was
a prominent trading port. There are stunning
views of the river and surrounding area.
Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
The magnificent Royal Chapel, Wat Phra Kaeo
in the Royal Grand Palace compound enshrines
the Emerald Buddha Image which is most revered
by people. Carved from a single block of
jade, the tiny Buddha (Phra Kaew Morakot
) image is raised on a series of platforms
and the only person who is allowed close
is HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The temple
also contains a number of large Buddha statues
and other elaborate ornaments, most of which
have been presented to the King by visiting
dignitaries.
Wat Traimitr (Temple of the Golden Buddha) The world's
largest solid gold Buddha, cast about nine
centuries ago, is three meters high and weighs
5½ tons. It is believed that the Golden Buddha
is more than 700 years old.
Originally, the statue was completely covered
with plaster to conceal it from the invaders
and was installed in Wat Phrayakrai in the
Yannawa area of Bangkok in the reign of the
King Rama III. It stayed there until 1931.
When the temple had fallen out of use and
was abandoned, the Ecclesiastical Commission
relocated the statue to the Wat Trai Mit
and it cracked to reveal a solid gold Buddha.
