Wat Pho – The Temple of the Reclining Buddha

If you are fond of Buddhism and want to see the important Buddhist temples in Bangkok then you must pay a visit to Wat Pho, a Buddhist temple situated in Phra Nakhon District in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. The temple is situated in the historical district of Bangkok adjacent to the Grand Palace, the Official residence of the Royals of Thailand. The temple is also popular among the tourist as the temple of the Reclining Buddha. The temple has a rich historical and cultural heritage. According to some, this temple is the birthplace of traditional Thai massage.

You are sure to find the history of this temple very interesting. Before the construction of the temple the site was used as a center for education for Thai medicine. In this site there were different statues in different yoga poses. In the same site there was a temple named Wat Phodharam in an earlier time. The present temple Wat Pho was created as a restoration of Wat Phodharam. The construction of the present temple started in the year 1788. Later during the reign of King Rama III the temple was further restored and extended. The temple was restored again in the year 1982 to retain its original form. Since the year 1962, the temple houses a school for Thai medicine and massage. The temple is said to be the birthplace of Thai massage.

Wat pho or the Temple of The Reclining Buddha is one of the oldest and the largest Buddhist temples in Bangkok. The temple houses more than a thousand images of Lord Buddha. It also houses one of the largest single Buddha images of the world – The Reclining Buddha. This statue is forty six meters long and fifteen meters high. The entire statue is decorated with gold plating and mother of pearl. It is a great experience to see this enormous Buddha statue in Bangkok. You are sure to remember this overwhelming experience for the rest of your life.

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