Wat Pho, Bangkok

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In the Eastern courtyard of Wat Pho, you will see these stone statues of rishis (hermits), all naked, except for hats, and carved in the posture of healing massage - rather than just being a random assortment of little statues. If you look at each, and try to replicate the pose, you will not only look like an idiot, but be addressing your inner healing the sense of self!

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First of all, Thai Massage is not EROTIC or sexual, it is wholesome and soothing, what Bangkok became notorious is the TURKISH BATH/BODY MASSAGE wherein both masseuse and client are naked and the masseuse massages the client using soap or oil via her private parts! GET IT!

Wat Pho (recently named Wat Phra Chetuphon) or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, has the largest reclining buddha in the world and also is the birth place of traditional Thai Massage. Most western tourists don't get past the temple's huge reclining Buddha, but there is actually much more to see than the one colossal statue.In addition to the fine features of the Buddha's face, also of note are the soles of the Buddha's feet, 45 meters (150 feet) away from the head, which have been inlaid with mother-of-pearl to display the 108 auspicious signs which distinguish a true Buddha. Other attractions here are the thai massage school, Bangkok Chedis, Wiharn and the Ubosot.

Visitors must pay an entrance fee of 20 Baht (0.61 USD) at booths just inside the north, or south, entrances.

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The gold leaf covered Reclining Buddha at Wat Po is the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand, and one of the largest in the world. The reclining figure symbolizes Buddha's passing into Nirvana. The temple around this Buddha has many walls and columns, so that it is hard to get a complete image of the entire figure. There's also fencing to prevent climbing on the huge statue, and in various niches in the temple prayer cermonies are a constant vigil. This is an extremely popular stop for tourists. Consequently most of my images are framed by columns, fencing, ritual ceremonies, and tourists.

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Here's an excellent write-up, from Into Asia:

Wat Pho is mainly famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. At 20 acres large, it is the largest Wat in Bangkok, and is technically the oldest too, as it was built around 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand's capital. However, today the Wat today bears virtually no resemblance to that originally constructed, as it was almost entirely rebuilt by Rama I when the capital was moved to Bangkok. It holds the dual honors of having both Thailand's largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand.

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 true Buddha.

The vast grounds at the temple were always well-manicured when I visited it. The main hall, where the statue of the Reclining Buddha was housed, had an air of serenity which I loved.

But really for me, the most important thing to do when visiting Wat Pho is to have a really good traditional Thai massage at its Thai Traditional Medical & Message School.

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There you will find the reclining buda, the biggesttt collection of buda images,, the Medicine Pavillion and the most respected massage school in the city.
Some Chedis are ornamented with thousands of porcelain fragments as you can see in Wat Arun too.

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Wat Pho is Bangkok's oldest temple, dating back to the 17th century, and is home to a massive statue of a reclining Buddha. The statue is 45-meters long and depicts Buddha entering Nirvana. Among other things, the Buddha boasts a 5-meter long smile and black-soled feet inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Like the city's other famous temples, Wat Pho is extremely popular, and it may seem as if every other tourist in Bangkok is there when you are.

I'd say this is the most charateristic budha in Thailand. It's really massive, as it's as huge as the wat where it's located. It's one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. The statue is made of plaster but covered in gold sheets.

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This would be one of my favourite temples in Bangkok. The temple is easy to get to by taxi or Tuk Tuk. If the driver tells you it is closed ask to go there anyway as the chances are they are just trying to scam you into going to a Gem Store or something.

It cost 40 baht entrance and all shows must be removed before entering the temple. Over the past few years there has been scaffolding around the Reclining Buddha but not that has been removed the Buddha looks amazing. This temple gets pretty busy and crowded. They have signs up warning of pickpockets but I have never had any problems. As you make your way around the buddha you can buy a bowl of coins where you put one in each bowl as an offering and good luck. After seeing the Reclining buddha there are a number of other temples, buddha images, and Chedi's within the temple complex to look at. This is also where the famous Thai massage school is where you can have a Thai massage.

After visiting this temple it is easy to visit The Grand Palace which is on the next block or Wat Arun across the Chao Phraya River.