Temple of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand
Wat Pho is a Buddhist temple complex in the Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand.
It is on Rattanakosin Island, directly south of the Grand Palace.
Known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, its official name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm.
The temple is first on the list of six temples in Thailand classed as the highest grade of the first-class royal temples.
It is associated with King Rama I who rebuilt the temple complex on an earlier temple site, and became his main temple where some of his ashes are
enshrined.
The temple was later expanded and extensively renovated by Rama III.
The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, including a 46 meter long reclining Buddha.
The temple is considered the earliest centre for public education in Thailand, and the marble illustrations and inscriptions placed in the temple for
public instructions has been recognised by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Programme.
It houses a school of Thai medicine, and is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage which is still taught and practiced at the
temple.
Wat Pho, is one of the six temples in Thailand that are of the highest grade of first class Royal temples.
Wat Pho serves as home to the massive 46-meter long reclining Buddha image, the size of which must be experienced in person as it is simply
breathtaking.
The amazing feeling of taking in the sight of the enormous golden figure of the ëenlightened oneí cannot be explained with words,
and even more rarely captured in photos due to its massive size.
You have to visit this amazing site to see it for yourself.
If the reclining Buddha isnít enough to impress, Wat Pho temple complex also boasts the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and maintains
the title as the countryís earliest center for public education, specializing in religion, science and literature.
Most of the Buddha images on display were brought to Wat Pho, by order of King Rama I, from abandoned temples in Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.
Many associate Wat Pho with traditional Thai massage and they are correct to do so because the temple compound is also the national headquarters for
the teaching and preservation of traditional Thai medicine, including Thai massage, a mandate legislated by Rama III when the tradition was in danger
of extinction.
Because of the popularity of the nearby Grand Palace, Wat Pho experiences fewer tourists and is therefore a bit more relaxing to wander through.
Wat Pho is an easy ten minute walk from the Grand Palace and has plenty to offer visitors.
The highlight for most people visiting Wat Pho is, of course, the Reclining Buddha.
The statue is 15 meters tall and 46 meters long, so large that it feels like it has been squeezed into the building where it is housed.
The feet of the Reclining Buddha statue are 5 meters long and decorated in laksana (Buddhist Sanskrit symbols & characters) of the Buddha.
You will need to take your shoes off to enter most of the buildings in the temple complex, and when you enter the building where the Reclining Buddha
is housed you will be offered a bowl of coins to purchase.
It is considered good luck if you purchase the bowl of coins and then drop them in the 108 bronze bowls which line the length of the hall.
Other attractions at Wat Pho complex include:
ï Four chapels ñ displaying 394 gilded Buddha images.
ï Murals ñ Intricately detailed murals that cover the walkways around Wat Pho.
They are so detailed and intricate that even if you donít understand all the imagery you can still appreciate the artwork.
ï Courtyard ñ Chinese statues that were once used on ships and 91 Chedis (or Stupas) decorated in ceramic pottery flowers and colorful tiles.
In the courtyard, you will also find a Bodhi tree, which was grown from a part of the real tree that Buddha sat under in meditation.
ï After a walk around the temple there is nothing quite like a relaxing foot or head and shoulder massage.
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