The highlight of the 17th century Wat Pho, the temple adjacent to the royal palace, that is also a school of traditional Thai massage, is the golden reclining Buddha or Phra Buddhasaiyas. This 46 meter long gilded statue is also the most visited tourist attraction in Bangkok, so braving throngs is de rigueur. We passed by twice waiting for the crowd to thin before taking the plunge.
The Buddhasaiyas was commissioned by King Rama III around 1830, and crafted in situ with stuccoed bricks overlaid with gold leaf. It is 15 meters at its highest near the face and 3 meters high at the feet. The soles of the feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl in intricate patterns symbolising the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha.
The shrine – called the Viharn Phranorn – was constructed around the finished Buddha, with giant columns obscuring a frontal view. Every inch of the wall surface is decorated with beautiful murals depicting the advent and propagation of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and the lives of important disciples.
The silent – apart from the odd irreverent tourist – filing past, is accompanied by a curious, rhythmic clang of metal on metal, which turns out to be the sound of coins being dropped incessantly into the 108 metal containers along the front wall! (Yes, that’s R with his shoes in that plastic bag).
Wat Pho or Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn, is a royal monastery built by king Rama I over an existing ancient temple, when he moved his capital here from Ayutthaya. It was restored extensively over a period of 17 years by King Rama III. Its principal shrine houses an exquisite seated Buddha – Phra Buddha Deva Patimakorn – on an ornate three tier pedestal that holds the ashes of the founder king.
The extensive grounds are well worth a wander with a museum and the school of massage where you can get your aching body parts pummeled into submission for a reasonable fee. (We passed :-)) Look out for the rock sculptures in the garden that were originally ballasts, salvaged from grounded Chinese merchant vessels.
PS: Despite the throngs, this is a working temple, and visitors are expected to dress and behave respectfully and cover their shoulders and knees. And turn off their mobile phones.
The Urge To Wander 
ah stunning and the murals are so beautiful
Thank you Soma 🙂
Simply stunning. I would join the masses to see this and I don’t have a cell phone so no worries on that end.
Thanks TBM. I had half a mind to dedicate this to my daughter who has visited Bangkok 6 times and still not seen this!! 🙂
Beautiful! Loved the colours inside the shrine.
http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in
The murals were wonderful Niranjan. Would have loved to spend some time studying them, but it is was far too crowded.
I love your choice of “perspective”, Madhu!
Wonderful and mystical place!
🙂
Thank you Marina 🙂
Are you telling me I won’t be allowed in in an off-shoulder gown…. or shorts?! LOL
Lovely pics. That Buddha looks resplendent here… can imagine how imposing he must look in real.
You could try your luck 😀
And yes, it is hard to capture in pictures how impressive the Buddha really is.
Nicely captured with the golden luster as a theme.
Thank you Sally. The presence of those columns forces one to look at the statue from interesting angles. Perhaps that was the intention! Appreciate your stopping by to comment 🙂
Great photos of this, Madhu. Funny, I just this week posted about the Reclining Buddha on my rice paddies and papayas blog. Sadly it was in 2008 when photography was not “my thing,” and my pictures show my poor abilities. Your photos, as always, are gorgeous. 🙂
Thank you Cathy. I know what you mean, my photos from our earlier trips aren’t that great either 🙂
Gorgeous photos! I loved visiting this massive golden reclining Buddha or Phra Buddhasaiyas, loved the detail of the statue! It was in February so there werent many other people about, as it was a very hot day.
Thanks Janaline. We went in October and every place was crowded. The reason why we enjoyed quiet sites like Loha Prasat and the flower market better.
Awesome!!!
Glad you think so Rexlin, thank you 🙂
Gorgeous!
Thank you so much for the visit and comment Cindy 🙂
Awesome place.Wonderfully captured.Thanks for sharing:)
Thank YOU for reading Praveena 🙂
hey Madhoo
stunning visuals. heard that Bangkok host Hindu culture and history but first time seeing the pics. Delightful:)
Such a great perspective selection of photo’s Madhu! I love it and thanks for the lovely tour and share. 🙂 *hugs*
I’m in awe. Awesome perspective, Madhu!
Thank you Amy. Welcome back. Can’t wait to hear all about your adventures in China 🙂
Beautiful photos and the focus on details.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Thank you Francine 🙂
Fantastic perspectives, especially the feet. Thanks for taking me there 🙂
You are welcome Gilly. The mother of pearl inlay was amazing!
Madhu, you’ve outdone yourself with this album! Thanks for the detail that goes into your narrative.
PS: What camera do you use?
Aww, thanks Ashu 🙂 It’s a Nikon 5100.
I’ve not seen this yet despite visiting the city twice. Your superb photos are the next best thing 🙂
Thanks Suzanne. My daughter hasn’t seen this in six consecutive visits!! 🙂
Beautiful captured photos, excellent choice for theme “perspective”… 🙂
Thank you Ledrake 🙂
Your photos really show the beauty of this amazing sculpture. I like the first one you took of the profile.
Thanks Colline. I chose that because of how tiny the feet look from that angle. And vice versa from the other end!
Amazing shots, Madhu. so beautiful
Thank you Nightlake 🙂
Your photos captured the intricate designs quite well. Lovely shots.
I love traditional Thai massage – the women, trained in temples – they can twist and click one’s back
Cheers,
Eric
Thank you Eric.
Have never tried a massage. Hubby tried a Hamam in the middle east and loved it, but I hate the idea somehow 🙂
Wonderful photos and history you’ve given us, thanks. There is one photo in particular that I really like of the head of the Buddha between two pillars in the slide show set, just lovely detail and perspective.
That is my favourite too Angeline. I didn’t put it up on the main post because i thought these worked better for ‘perspective’.
Stunning photos. This post requires a lot of time to explore it slowly and to enjoy it with full heart. Thank You.
Oh thank you so much for your lovely compliment Sartenada 🙂
These are stunning shots you have captured Madhu. I have added this temple to the list. I am not crazy about throngs of people but certainly would not want to miss this exquisite site. 🙂
oh, all those wonderful details – to forget the century we live in, diving into this religious art …
What a beautiful post this is, Madhu, as well as being a lesson in perspective. The details are incredible. 🙂
Stunning! I was captivated by these photos. Lisa 🙂
I really like the perspective on a couple of these, especially the ten spiralled toes sticking out from that gorgeous block of mother of pearl inlaid feet. 🙂
I will share this with my friend, Jasmine, who is from Thailand. Thank you, Madhu. The photos and post are very enjoyable.
Fabulous perspective and detail Madhu! It must be bliss to have some “quiet” time there.
massive and awesome 🙂
So incredible. If I ever make it to Thailand, I will visit this first thing. Thanks for the amazing images, Madhu!
The feet are incredible!! You do get to some amazing places 🙂
Madhu, these are the best photos I have seen of the Reclining Buddha. Perspective and detail. I remember the coins dropping and wondering what that sound was until we were leaving. Thanks for the reminder.
NIce Buddha
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Mesmerizing images that have a feeling that transcends through the internet. I been looking at it for over 15 minutes. The photo’s look very peaceful. The idea of slience with only the sound of coins being dropped into metal containers is enthralling.
This is a wonferully informative and extremely beuatiful photographic post. Love it …
Namaste ….
Isadora
Magnificent 😀
I’ve been to this place last year. Amazing place 🙂 Your post decirbing the ancient history is beautiful 🙂
Wow, Madhu! Fascinating and stunning
I love how you showed the Buddha from different angles, err, perspectives. Each angle is instructive.
Reblogged this on Sherry's Space and commented:
Wow, it is amazing