Wat Traimit - Temple of the Golden Buddha, Bangkok

4 more images

Wat Traimit Witthayaram or the Temple of the Golden Buddha stands at the junction of Traimit, Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Roads.

The statue is made in the Sukhothai Dynasty style, and is thought to have been made during the Sukhothai period approximately in the 13th century. The Golden Buddha The statue is 3.98 m tall tall and weighs 5.5 tonnes.

The Golden Buddha statue was cast in parts in India and assembled at the site. At some point of time it was completely plastered to prevent it from being stolen. Untill in 1955 during the movement of the statue due to an accident the plaster was broken and the original composition was revealed after 200 years.

You need to remove shoes before entering the shrine and preferably no mini skirts and skimpy tops

1 more image

Wat traimit is located in Chinatown. It houses the Golden Buddha and the Chinatown museum. According to tales, this large golden buddha was formerly covered in stucco to hide it from being stolen when the ancient city in Thailand was ransacked by enemy troops. Later in 1955, the stucco cracked when the buddha statue fell in the mud while being transferred and the solid gold buddha hidden inside the stucco cast was discovered. Amazing!

It's not every day you get to see a World Record worthy of the Guinness Book. Known in Thai as Phra Buddha Maha Suwanna Patimakorn, the Golden Buddha weighs 5.5 tons making it the world's most valuable (money-wise) sacred object. Amazingly the 13th century Sukothai-style statue spent centuries hidden under a layer of lacquered plaster which King Rama III ordered to disguise it when he moved it to Bangkok. An accidental crack in 1955 revealed the solid gold interior. The three-meter tall statue in the Subduing Mara, Calling the Earth to Witness posture occupies the fourth level of a somewhat pyramid-like shrine inside Wat Traimit. Entry to the temple is free and it is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, for foreigners there is a 40-baht fee to see the massive gold Buddha image. On the third floor is an exhibit telling the history of the statue and its move to Bangkok.

4 more images

Wat Traimit - Temple of the Golden Buddha

One of the famous temple in Bangkok "Wat Traimit" - The Temple of the Golden Buddha (the statue of Buddha is made from solid gold weighting 5.5 tons).
Located very near to Hua Lampong railway station (Yaowarad Road) and near to Chinatown and is one of the most popular attractions in the city of angels.


Information
Name: Wat Traimit
Attraction Type: Wat - Temple, Gold Buddha image
Location: Near Hua Lampong Railway station
City: Bangkok
Pictures in the web: Wat Traimit - The Golden Buddha


My Photos
First Photo: Outside the Building
Second Photo: Wat Traimit - The Golden Buddha
Thirth Photo: The building
Fourth Photo: Visitors in Wat Traimit
Fifth Photo: More Buddhas outside the building

1 more image

Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha) might not rate a second glance if not for its astonishing Buddha image. It is thought to date from the 13th century and is cast in the Sukhothai style. It is believed to have been brought first to Ayutthaya.

When the Burmese were about to sack the city, it was covered in plaster to hide its value. Two centuries later, still in plaster, it was thought to be worth very little. But in 1957, when the image was being moved to a new temple in Bangkok, it slipped from a crane and was left in the mud by workmen. In the morning, a temple monk, who had dreamed that the statue was divinely inspired, went to see the Buddha image. Through a crack in the plaster he saw a glint of yellow, and discovered that the statue was pure gold. It's now officially the world's largest solid-gold Buddha at nearly 10 feet high and weighing over 5 tons. Pieces of the stucco that once hid this remarkable treasure are on display in a case to the left.

Open: 9am-5pm. Admission: 20B.

4 more images

This was our 1st stop to visit for the City Tour. That's when I found out that there are a lot caucasian tourists coming to Bangkok. As far as I can remember as what the tourist guide have mentioned, this buddha is made from solid gold. Tourists can buy buy gold leaves (more thinly sliced than oslo paper) outside which they can try to adhere on the smaller buddhas. We didn't try it because me & my husband are playing with the bells making some noise. Ha ha ha ha...

2 more images

Wat Traimit is known for its famous Golden Buddha, constructed during the Sukhothai period. The beautiful image is of pure gold. Wat Traimit houses the world's biggest golden Buddha image, presumably 700 to 800 years old. It is a valuable treasure of Thailand and of Buddhism. Local worshipers worship here and rub gold leaf on the wat's other smaller Buddha images to make merit.

The gold Buddha image at Wat Traimit is closed to public viewing until the Thai new year - Songkran - in April 2009. It's really not worth your trouble - and the heat/noise of Chinatown - to travel to the temple right now. They are finishing an immense stupa in front to house the Buddha image.

To get here: EXIT 1 from the underground BTS Hua Lamphong Station. Walk left and cross over the streets/canal at the lights - then take a left on the first small street. After half a block - you'll see the temple on other side of the street (on the right of this one-way road). The first entrance is for the school. (If you're going when they re-open in April - and it's the hottest month of the year - just take a motorcycle taxi as you EXIT 1 - it's worth not getting lost in all the traffic/heat.)

Other attactions: As you exit the temple, go right and you'll see the famous Chinatown red gate. I'd recommend then taking a taxi to Sampeng Lane in Chinatown to walk around the shops here and onward toward the pier.

It's not recommended to walk from Wat Traimit to the shopping area of Chinatown because it's so easy to get lost! And the area is hot, dirty, smelly, and pedestrian-unfriendly.