Wat Pho, Bangkok

i went to wat pho (the reclining budha temple) and found the thai massage centre there is highly recommended. later i just knew that thai massage was firstly learned at wat pho some hundred years ago.

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Wat Pho
"The Temple of Reclining Buddha"

Located near Grand Palace. Wat Pho is the largest and oldest Wat - Temple in Bangkok.

The full name is:
Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn.

The Reclining Buddha have:
15 meter high
46 meter long


Information
Name: Wat Pho
Theme: The Buddha Image
Close to: Wat Phra Khaew, Suan Saranrom Park, Chao Praya River
Location: Ratanakosin Island
City: Bangkok
Pictures in the web: Wat Pho, the Temple of Reclining Buddha
Admission Fee: I pay last time 20 baht
Last Visit: February 2009


My Photos
First Photo: The Reclining Buddha
Second photo: Wat Pho
Third photo: The Reclining Buddha
Forth photo: Wat Pho
Fifth photo: The Reclining Buddha

Naming Names

The temple's actual name: 'Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan '

My reaction: there is no way I will ever manage to even pronounce, let alone remember, the whole of it!

About Wat Pho

Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok , and is home to more than one thousand Buddha images - it would certainly take one more than a day to find all of them! The main one, however, is one of the largest single Buddha images: the Reclining Buddha (more on that in my first tip)

The Main Sights:

- Reclining Buddha
- The other 1,000+ Buddha images :)
- Medicine Pavilion
- Chedi Rai
- Prangs and stone giants - too numerous to count

Description:

The 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 true Buddha.

My visit:

First of all, confession time: I am probably one of the few people who went to Wat Pho and managed to almost miss the Reclining Buddha.

Isn't it what the temple is about?

Well, not only, and I did not miss it anyway :) My first visit to Wat Pho was on the afternoon of a 2-day trip to Bangkok, and I was in a rush as the temple was almost closing. By the time I had explored the magnificent ground, I only had 15 minutes left for the big attraction. I had, therefore, only a very limited amount of time to explore the chapel.

It does impress - from the outside, the chapel housing the Reclining Buddha does not seem that large. But when you walk in... the figure is enormous.

The only thing to remember is respect - it is, after all, one of the holiest images of the country.

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Wat Pho (also known as Wat Phra Chetuphon or The Temple of the Reclining Buddha), is located directly adjacent to the Grand Palace. The temple was created as a restoration of an earlier temple on the same site, Wat Phodharam, with the work beginning in 1788. King Rama III told his nobleman, Krom Muen Pumintarapakdi (Prince Laddawan), to build the temple. After having moulded the image of the Reclining Buddha, the hall was then built. The image was made of stuccoed bricks gilded with gold leaves. The statue is 46 metres long, with the face of the Buddha being 15 metres high. Each foot is 3 metres high and 5 metres long. The soles of the statue's feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl showing the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha. On the inner wall of the hall, surrounding the reclining Buddha, you will see mural paintings of three topics: “Mahawong” (Historical annals of Ceylon) up the windows; “13 Savida Atadagga Disciples (Priestess)”, “10 Upasaka Atadagga Disciples” and “10 Upasika Atadagga Disciples” between each window.

Open: 8am-5pm. Admission: 50B - no shorts allowed.

At Wat Pho, there is a giant indoor reclining Buddha. It is impressive. You have take off your shoes to enter and allowed to take photos inside. But it is difficult as the Buddha is so large and the corridor around it is narrow and packed with queues of tourist.

If you do not have a tour guide, it is worth to eavesdrop to other guides in various languages describing the significance of the mother of pearl inlaid drawings on both the soles of both feet of the Reclining Buddha.

Derfinitely a must visit temple for all first time visitors to Bangkok. I have visited Wat Pho many times.

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Talk about huge buddha? This is absolutely a big one! I've seen a lot of buddha's before but this one is different because it is lying sideways. Until now I wonder what that position may have mean on Buddhist religion. Since we were on a package tour, we were just dropped off and given enough time to see temples & buddhas. Anyways, before you enter you have to take your shoes off. I see some people burning some sticks (maybe incense because it smells like it) while they pray or meditate. There are some who are putting some donations (small denominations like coins) as they pass by. Outside we saw some monks that are uniformly dressed and I was surprised that their ages varied which included the youngsters. All the while I thought only elders are qualified to be monks since they have become wiser with age. Well, I was wrong all along... :)

A visit to Wat Pho and Bangkok's famous reclining Buddha is on every tourist's itinerary - its a must. When we went the first time, I had my palm read. Being the skeptic I am, my tongue was planted in my cheek - but not for long. I was gobsmacked - and remain - at the accuracy of this man's statements about so many facets of my life, and not just the usual stuff fortune tellers say to people, and enough of it is right or a close enough fit.

He tried to articulate my occupation initially - not being able to find the right words - and described my children by gender and personality, my relationship with a range of people in my life, my personality quite well etc..... . So, I would be interested in someone else's experience and impressions.

My daughter had her signs (relating to date of birth) done, and we'll have to wait and see, as much of this is centred on life prediction.