More temples – Wat Pho

On the 2nd day in Thailand, I used an app called get your guide. It has different tours you can go on, so I found a walking tour of 2 of the main temples in Bangkok.

You will see the term Wat a lot from here on out. Wat just means Buddhist Temple or monastery.

First was Wat Pho, or the Temple of the reclining Buddha. It features a 46-meter reclining Buddha. This is the pose the Buddha was in as he passed and entered into Nirvana.

It is made of brick, covered in plaster and gilded in gold leaf.

The soles of the feet of the Buddha are 3 meters high and 4.5 meters long, and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. They are each divided into 108 arranged panels, displaying the auspicious symbols by which Buddha can be identified, such as flowers, dancers, white elephants, tigers, and altar accessories. At the center of each foot is a circle representing a chakra or ‘energy point’. There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor representing the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha. Visitors may drop coins in these bowls as it is believed to bring good fortune, and it also helps the monks to maintain the wat.

The temple is associated with King Rama I, who rebuilt the temple complex on an earlier temple site. It became his main temple and is where some of his ashes are enshrined. The temple was later expanded and extensively renovated by Rama III.

The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand.

The temple is considered the earliest center for public education in Thailand, and the illustrations and inscriptions placed in the temple for public instructions has been recognised by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Programme. It houses a school of Thai medicine and is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, which is still taught and practiced at the temple.

Information was obtained from the wiki for the temple.