Wat Pho in Bangkok is home to a colossal Reclining Buddha that stretches 46 meters from the top of its head to the soles of its mother-of-pearl feet. An impressive amount of gold leaf blankets the brick-and-plaster statue. Decorating the five meter feet are the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha, among them birds, tigers and flowers. The reclining posture represents the moment Buddha attained nirvana through death. Just don’t plan on finding your own enlightenment here. A camera-wielding crowd always surrounds the Buddha.
The Reclining Buddha resides in a sanctuary within Wat Pho, one of Bangkok’s oldest temples. Although not a designated pilgrimage site, the temple is popular with Buddhist faithful. There are 108 bronze bowls in the hall facing the Buddha where worshipers deposit coins hoping for good fortune – I saw people dropping coins into every bowl as they walked along.
Away from the Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is much less crowded and a pleasure to explore. The temple complex covers 80,000 square meters and boasts several dozen chedi of varying sizes. Colorful mosaic tiles adorn the facades, behind which rest the ashes of royal family members. In addition to its most famous resident, Wat Pho is home to hundreds of other Buddha images, supposedly one of the largest collections in the world.
Wat Pho is also at the center of efforts to preserve traditional Thai medicine and massage, with a famous massage school on the premises. (Sadly closed during my visit.) All the more reason to return!
Are you ready to visit Wat Pho in Bangkok? Check out my comprehensive Bangkok itinerary and start planning your trip!
If you liked Wat Pho, you’ll enjoy Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace. Much smaller scale, set just two blocks back from the river… a much more manageable experience, I thought! Plus, there are some trendy restaurants just a stone’s throw away, like Pacharan, a Spanish tapas bar and the chic Foreign Correspondent’s Club.
I definitely want to visit that palace in Cambodia, though I heard it was closed for a while due to the King’s death. Hopefully it will be open when we’re there. And we want to eat Khmer food in Cambodia!!
Fabulous pics and I always love your blather here.
But I have to laugh – you seem to get LOTS more mileage out your travels than I. I mean, what’s this? *7* posts on Bangkok ALONE? All exceedingly fascinating. But it makes me wonder. I got a grand total of *TWO* posts out of my entire MONTH in Mongolia
LOL, clearly I could take a lesson from you! ;D
Dyanne, I took just over 3,000 photos on this trip (3 weeks) and I just hate the thought of them languishing in a folder on my desktop. I want to share them! My mom especially likes getting a peek into all we’ve done and seen. I’m glad you’re enjoying these posts as well!
I do love looking at your posts. Makes me hope to see some of the sights in the
future. I love the shapes of these buildings and again the colors are so pretty.
And, you research the history which saves me from having to do it!!
Glad you enjoy all the details! Understanding some of the history makes the places more meaningful to me.