Bangkok - Wat Phra Kaew

The Wat Phra Kaew - Temple of the Emerald Buddha; full official name Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand.

The main building is the central phra ubosot, which houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha. The legendary history of this Buddha image is traced to India, five centuries after Gautama Buddha attained Nirvana, until it was finally enshrined in Bangkok at the Wat Phra Kaew temple in 1782

The Emerald Buddha, a dark green statue, is in a standing form, about 66 centimetres (26 in) tall, carved from a single jade stone.  It is carved in the meditating posture in the style of the Lanna school of the northern Thailand. Except for the Thai King, no other person is allowed to touch the statue. The King changes the cloak around the statue three times a year, corresponding to the summer, winter, and rainy seasons, an important ritual performed to usher good fortune to the country during each season.

The Emerald Buddha reappeared in a chance discovery in Chiang Rai, Lanna in 1434, after a lightning storm struck a temple. The Buddha statue fell down and was chipped. The storm had washed away some of its mud plaster covering Buddha images. The monks, after removing the plaster around the statue, discovered that the image was a perfectly made Buddha image from a solid piece of Jade, a precious stone.


Address:  Na Phra Lan Road, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200



Recommendation ***** (must see !)

 

Image from wiki