Wat Pho
Wat Pho or Wat Phra Chetuphon is the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok as it is generally known to the Thais. It’s originating in the 16th century before being rebuilt by King Rama I. It also is mainly famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. The highly impressive gold plated Reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the genuine Buddha in Chinese and Indian styles.
The large grounds of Wat Pho contain more than a thousand Buddha images in total, most of them from the ruins of the former capitals Ayuthaya and Sukhothai. The northern section is generally the only one most people go to, and it includes a large temple hall (Bot in Thai), enclosed by 394 bronze Buddha images. Outside the hall, there are 152 marble slabs depicting the second half of the epic Ramakian story. Also near here are four pagodas, constructed to honor the first three of Chakri Kings. There are also a massive 91 others pagodas of varying size around the grounds, along with the chapels, rock gardens, an array of different types of statues, inscriptions, bell towers and resident fortune tellers. The library is nearly too, decorated impressively with figures and pagodas made of porcelain.
King Rama III had ordered another major renovation of the temple to make it a center of learning and art. This took 16 years to complete. Texts from treatises on various fields of knowledge were inscribed in marble slabs and place in pavilions in the temple and stone statues. Wat Pho thus became a source of knowledge for people of all classes and has therefore been referred to as Thailand’s first university.
The temple is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. Even prior to the temple’s founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions.
