Wat Pho, Bangkok

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If you arrive in Bangkok at the end of your Thailand trek and think you have seen more than enough Buddha's ....muster up enough excitement and go see this one. Wat Pho or Wat Phra Chetuphon as it is generally known to the Thais, is famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. It is a favorite with the locals and a must see. It is even larger than I imagined and quite amazing.

It is a gold plated reclining Buddha , 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.

There are more than 1000 Buddha images in total on the grounds of Wat Pho , most from the ruins of the former capitals Ayuthaya and Sukhothai.

Wat Pho is also famous as Thailand's first university, and is center for traditional Thai massage . If you want to experience traditional Thai massage, this is one of the best place available . It costs 150B for 30 mins, 250B for an hour .

Entrance is 20B. It's open every day, opening hours are from 08.00am to 5.00pm, with a break from 12.00pm to 1.00pm.

Wat Pho was rerected in 1789 and hence is Bangkok's oldest temple. It is home to the famous reclining Buddha statue which is 46m long and 15m high. The feet are decorated with beautiful mother-of-pears inlays. You'll see many pilgrims walking around the statue and donate small coins into bowls which line the walls.
The temple is also home to a monastery and a famous massage school. A 1 hr Thai massage costs 360 THB and you also can take massage classes here.

Come to the modest hero of Bangkok's holy temples, the WAT PHO. You'll find here the largest collection of Buddha images, rich, adorned, decorated, beautified and afterall so pure. Famous is the "Reclining Buddha", ie the Buddha's death (!), which is 46 mt. long and 15 mt. high, finished in godlleaf! But worth a nod are the other Buddha images like Phra Chinnarat, Phra Chinnachai and the Sukhothai (Rising of Happiness). Special dress code wanted!

The area, considered the earliest university in Thailand, is good to explore by yourself (info map available), and want to know more about the place better get a guide. It's great when the monks around are interested, and tell some in English about the environment, though hard to find, heeheeh! They are so neat! Remember not to touch a monk! That is forbidden!

And the WAT PHO is famous, too, for its Thai Massage school. get an hour-long treatment, ... but there's no AC (so very sweaty!) and rather long waits.

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On the way from Wat Phra (Grand Palace) to Wat Pho, we heard a lot of liars keep telling us that Wat Pho was closed and offered to bring us to other places. Thanks to other VT members' tips, we knew it was a con!

The entrance fee is THB50 (as at July'06) per person. I read about a secret pathway into the wat that you dont need to pay any penny. Guess what, you actually dont need to pay anything to go in, and nobody ever bother about it. But we only found out about it after we bought the ticket from the ticket booth. Nobody ever ask to check our ticket or anything. Everybody just come and go freely... But hey, just treat it as a good will, so that they can use your money to maintain the wat so your son or grandson can come and visit in the future :)

inside the wat, you can see huge golden reclining Buddha just nicely fitted into the house. It will look nicer if the house can be a little bit bigger so you can view the whole Buddha from a distance. At the feet of the Buddha, there are some drawings which i dont really know what it is, but it is nice.. heheheh.... Then you you will come across a long queue where people put coins into a 12" steel container along the way out. You can donate any amount to get the changes to put into the container. Unluckily, we finished putting our coins into the first few containers before the container ends. I think this is for good luck...

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This is the most well known temple in Bangkok and also the largest. It's where the Reclining Buddha can be found.

The Wat Pho is amazing, with beautiful gardens and I was specially thrilled with the temples roofs. So that you can understand a bit of the history of the Wat Pho, I suggest that you hire a guide to show you around. They don't charge much and you can find them after you enter.

It's a very interesting place, with much to see, so plan to stay there for at least a couple of hours to get to know the place in depth.

Wat Pho, Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is famous for 2 things, which are the Reclining Buddha and its massage. Traditional massage here costs 150B for 30 mins, 250B for an hour and herbal massages are available at 350B an hour. It is the best and purest thai massage that you will get in Thailand.

Next door to Wat Phra Kaew/Grand Palace so you can visit both places in one day.

This is home to the Reclining Buddha. Enter the hall and you will be bedazzled by the gold reflecting off the body of the Buddha and as well from the tiles used for the base, which are made from mother-of-pearls.

A number of visitors (yours truly included) will donate some money (20 Bahts is now the standard, circa 2006) and in turn receive a bag of coins, which you would then deposit one coin at a time into alm bowls that had been placed as a perimeter around the Reclining Buddha. There is exactly enough coins for all the alm bowls and when you have finished your round (which also means you will be exiting the Hall) you would supposedly be blessed. This act is optional.

Walk through the grounds of the complex. There are many large stupas (effectively tombstones) littering the grounds. Marvel your through the many halls and galleries, guarded by figurines and statues, as well as wonderful architectural touches. Wat Pho is possibly the most Chinese-influenced of all of Bangkok's Wats.

Wat Pho is also home to the Thai Traditional Medical Science School and Body Massage. Grab a traditional Thai Massage at the school. You have a choice for cheap but non air-conned and slightly more expensive but with air-con rooms. Massage service fee 250 baht / hour. No hanky panky here. Certainly, not in a Wat!

Decent dress code for visiting places of worship applies.

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There are about 1000 Buddha images on the grounds of Wat Pho, some of details collection were obtained from the ruins of old Siam capital which known more as Ayuthaya.

I counted almost 100 Chedis of varying sizes arounds the grounds around rock gardens said to be built honoring King's of Rama during those days.

You can get a guide varies from 100 - 300 BAHT within your entry in this temple, but i reckoned you can explore by yourself and look at your guide book. Just remember to follow the religious rules.

IMPORTANT : Dress code

For ladies, Wai to monks but touching is absolutely not allowed.