Just a stone’s throw away from the colorful Grand Palace of Bangkok rests a really big Buddha. Barely fitting his massive and lanky body under one roof, Wat Pho is home to the largest rendition of Buddha in Thailand.
The Reclining Buddha, or Phra Buddha Saiyas, is a lacquered and gilded Buddha image in brick and stucco of early Rattanakosin Period. It was measured as 46 meters in length, 15 meters in height from the base to the topknot. The Buddha is featured in “Sihasaiyas” position, or reclining like a lion.
Also called The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is the oldest temple in Bangkok and a sacred site, where worshippers come to pray and practice their faith.
The Reclining Buddha is not the only Buddha in residence. Quite the contrary. Wat Pho contains the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand – over 1,000 of them!
Of course, there is even more to Wat Pho than gilded statues…
Like the Grand Palace, Wat Pho is a colorful complex full of marvelous details and whimsical design.
Unlike the Grand Palace, there were hardly any other tourists around during my visit, which is something worth celebrating when exploring a new place for the first time!
Hey readers! Have you ever heard of the Reclining Buddha? When traveling, would you take on the crowds to see the “biggest and best” destinations or do you prefer visiting sites with less grandeur but more personal space?
Aubrey Bosch says
Good question! I found that after viewing so many museums and buildings from a Europe trip that I would rather just get lost and find the tiny treasures that only the locals know : ) I so miss wandering! It is about my favorite thing to do, aside from eating good food!