Visit Bangkok’s Wat Pho temple
You’ll find fewer tourists here than at the nearby Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Yet Wat Pho is one of Bangkok’s finest temples. In fact, the building incorporates a multitude of superlatives: the largest reclining Buddha and the largest collection of Buddha statues in Thailand. It’s also the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. In fact, it’s home to a renowned school of massage and traditional medicine.
Flickr – Mohamed Malik
Almost too big for its shelter, the impressive (really impressive) 46-metre-long, 15-metre-high Reclining Buddha illustrates Buddha’s passage to nirvana (i.e. Buddha’s death). The statue is modelled in plaster and the interior is made of a brick core. The statue is entirely covered in gold leaf. The tops of the feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl representing the 108 states of Buddha.
Flickr – Mohamed Malik
The Buddha statues on display in the other four sanctuaries are well worth a look. These include Phra Chinnarat and Phra Chinnachai, both from Sukhothai. The galleries between the four chapels are home to no fewer than 394 gilded Buddha statues, many with features similar to those on display at Ayuthaya or Sukhothai. The remains of King Rama I are buried at the foot of the Reclining Buddha.
Flickr – josh.ev9
Wat Pho is also the national headquarters for the teaching and preservation of traditional Thai medicine, including the famous Thai massage. The famous massage school comprises two massage pavilions inside the temple and additional rooms outside the temple. Stone engravings illustrating yoga and massage techniques, originally intended as examples for students, are on display. Massages are available on site.
Flickr – antwerpenR
Where is Wat Pho temple?
To get to the temple of the Reclining Buddha, just go to Th Sanam Chai street, south of the Royal Palace. Here’s where Wat Pho is located on a map:
Opening hours:
Every day from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Admission fee:
Admission is 200 baht (€5.40)