Wat Pho

A hot walk around the outside of the Palace brought us to Wat Pho, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, The temple complex is Bangkok's largest temple as well as being one of the oldest, it also has the most extensive collection of Buddha images out of all Thailand temples (over 1,000). The temple was constructed about 200 years before Bangkok became the capital but was rebuilt under Rama I.

The huge complex has all kinds of chapels, gardens, intricately painted murals, the library, bell towers and large stone statues guarding the sixteen temple gates.

The site's top attraction is the reclining Buddha, a 46 meter long gold plated figure 15 meters high. His feet alone are 5 meters long. The statue is meant to signify Buddha's passing into Nirvana. There is intricate mother-of-pearl detail on the eyes and feet. As you approach the statue there is a long walkway lined with 108 bowls (the number 108 has religious significance). It is traditional to drop a coin in each of the bowls as you go along the path and as you drop each coin make a wish.

We saw directional signs to massages, which seems strange, but a claim to fame is this is the birth place of modern massage. Before the temple was erected this site was an educational institute for Thai medicine and the massage school is still located here.Читать далее