
Reclining Buddha in Wat Pho temple… …the 15 m high and 43 m long statue represents the Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana
Dates visited: December 30, 2014 – January 3, 2015
If you know Buddha like I know Buddha, then be prepared to be amazed and awed by what Bangkok has to offer in the “Know Your Buddha Basics” category! Prior to visiting Bangkok, if you had asked me to describe a Buddha image/statue, the only one that I could visualize was a stone/bronze Buddha in a meditating pose, seated with his legs crossed and his hands either raised (palm outwards) or resting between the cradle formed by his legs. Not necessarily in Bangkok; here you have Buddhas for all occasions and in many different poses—you have day-of-the-week Buddhas, sitting Buddhas, standing Buddhas, and even reclining Buddhas! In Japan and Hong Kong, I saw Buddhas carved out of rock and bronze, but in Thailand, I saw golden Buddhas, gold-plated Buddhas and jade Buddhas. In my opinion, this ostentation and extravagance goes against the simple life that Buddha lived and the values that he preached.
Of course, Bangkok has lots more to offer than Buddhas; there is the revered royal family and the Grand Palace, larger-than-life-size portraits of the King, tall buildings and narrow streets, pink taxis and flamboyant tuk-tuks, traffic jams, amazing Thai food and lots more. We just had a wonderful time here enjoying the friendly people and the festive atmosphere… …New Year’s Day is supposed to be an auspicious time so people were out in throngs. One thing that hits you right away as you start exploring Bangkok is that people love their King. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (aka Rama IX) has reigned since 9 June 1946, making him the world’s longest serving head of state and world’s longest reigning current monarch in Thai history. Whether it is the fear of lèse majesté (the Thai Criminal Code says “Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years.” without defining what actions constitute “defamation” or “insult) or the citizens are brainwashed or the King has genuinely helped the subjects, you can hear admiration and respect in people’s voices when they talk about their King Rama IX. Also to note, we were in Bangkok seven months after the Thai Army launched a coup d’état against the caretaker government but we did not encounter any inconvenience or safety issues.
In terms of food, Thai food is a whole lot spicier than the 3-4 chilies represented on a Thai restaurant menu card here in the US. I can manage 2-3 chilies worth of hotness in US, but even the mildly prepared curries in Bangkok were enough to set my tongue on fire! But given their lip-smacking delicious flavor and aroma, I was prepared to swallow a fire extinguisher, if needed! Also, the Thai love their meat! I am a 100% self-acknowledged, rigorously-practicing carnivore but my friends that were traveling with me were vegetarians so when we asked our guide to recommend and reserve a good restaurant, she kept referring to my food as “normal food” and their food as “vegetarian food”. But one dessert all of us loved was mango with sticky rice and our guide kept buying it for us from places that specialized in it.
While I enjoyed exploring Bangkok, two attractions that stood out for me are Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha).
- The Reclining Buddha is 15 m high and 43 m long, but the structure that houses the statue is extremely narrow. Because of that, your perspective of what to expect gets skewed and as you enter the temple and look to the left, you suddenly see a massively huge golden Buddha head resting on a gigantic hand! Your view is obstructed by several wide columns that separate the viewing area from the Buddha so as you walk down the narrow corridor, the Buddha reveals himself in small portions at regular intervals until you get to the end (by his huge feet) and see the Reclining Buddha in its entirety. That’s a sight to remember forever!
- The Emerald Buddha, compared to the Reclining Buddha, is tiny… …30 inches high! But this green jade statue of Buddha in a meditating pose is the most sacred Buddha in the entire of Thailand and is housed in the Wat Phra Kaew temple on the grounds of the Grand Palace. Only the King is allowed to touch it! Thrice a year, before the onset of the summer, rainy and winter seasons, the King changes the clothes on this Buddha in a much-anticipated ceremony. But the entire temple (Wat Phra Kaew) complex is worth at least a couple of hours of serious sightseeing. I found the numerous chedis (stupas), 6m tall statues of yakshas (demons), detailed paintings of the Indian epic, Ramayana, and spotless buildings with their beautiful carvings and striking architecture very unique.
- This 3 meters (9.8 ft) tall statue of Golden Buddha in the Wat Traimit temple is the world’s largest solid gold statue weighing 5.5 tons (5,500 kilograms)
- The Thai love their King (Bhumibol Adulyadej aka Rama IX) and his portraits are found everywhere in the country… …on roads, in gardens, in temples, well, pretty much everywhere!
- Chakri Maha Prasat Hall in the Grand Palace, constructed in a blend of Thai and Renaissance styles… …the Central Throne Hall is used for state banquets and receiving foreign ambassadors
- Rohan posing with his day of birth (Monday) Buddha… …called Phra Ham Yath, this is a standing Buddha pose, with both hands raised at the chest, palm facing outwards representing “Preventing Calamities”
- Chedis (stupas) at Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)… …there are 91 of them; small ones contain the ashes of the royal family while the large ones contain the ashes of Buddha
- The best Pad Thai I’ve ever eaten in my life… …Grilled River Shrimp on Pad Thai wrapped in egg!
- A funeral chariot for the Royal Family at the Bangkok National Museum
- A 6m-tall yaksha (demon) from the the Indian epic “Ramayana” keeps an eye on the dazzling golden Phra Si Ratana Chedi, Phra Mondop and Prasat Phra Thep Bidorn
- The softer side of Bangkok taxis… …
- The 30 inches (76.2 cm) tall jade statue of the Emerald Buddha, the palladium of the Kingdom of Thailand, inside Wat Phra Kaew temple. The statue is adorned in three different sets of gold clothing at the onset of summer, rainy and winter seasons… …the clothes changed by the King of Thailand himself!
- Wat Traimit temple that houses the world’s largest solid gold statue… …it’s a statue of Buddha that weighs 5.5 tons (5,500 kilograms)
- Devotees inside Wat Traimit temple praying to the Golden Buddha
- The 1292 AD King Ram Khamhaeng Inscription stele (on display in Bangkok National Museum) was inscribed in the Memory of the World Register in 2003 by UNESCO. As per UNESCO, “it not only records the invention of Thai language scripts that are the foundation of the modern scripts used in Thailand by 60 million people, its rare detailed description of the 13th century Thai state of Sukhothai also reflects universal values shared by many states in the world today.”
- 6m-tall yakshas (demons) from the the Indian epic “Ramayana” guard the exit at Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
- Buddhaisawan Chapel (built in 1795) at the Bangkok National Museum, houses the 15th century Phra Buddha Sihing statue (second-most highly revered statue in Thailand after the Emerald Buddha)… …the murals on the wall depict the life of Buddha
- Dandima (half-man, half-rooster) stands guard outside the Buddhaisawan Chapel (built in 1795) at the Bangkok National Museum
- Reclining Buddha in Wat Pho temple… …this 15 m high and 43 m long statue is lying on the right flank, his head supported by his hand
- The design on the 3 m high and 4.5 m long foot of the Reclining Buddha (in Wat Pho temple) is inlaid with mother of pearl, and divided into 108 arranged panels, displaying the auspicious symbols by which Buddha can be identified like flowers, dancers, white elephants, tigers and altar accessories
- Ferry taking passengers across the Chao Phraya River
- Tall columns of the 18th century-built Phra Mondop that houses house the Tripitaka (Buddhist scripture)
- A colorful tuk-tuk… …the drivers take pride in pimping their rides!
- Demons holding up a golden chedi (stupa) at Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
- Ringing the prayer bells at Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)
- The Red House inside the Bangkok National Museum… …displays the intricately detailed designs on the canopy bed of Queen Sri Suriyen, wife of King Rama II
- The calm and composed expression on the world’s largest solid gold statue… …Golden Buddha inside Wat Traimit temple
- Prachi posing with her Pad Thai… …as authentic as it can get!
- Carvings of mythical animals on funeral chariots for the Royal Family at Bangkok National Museum
- Glass mosaic and carvings on the 18th century-built Phra Mondop that houses house the Tripitaka (Buddhist scripture)
- Statue of Apsara Siha, a half-angel, half-lion creature in Buddhist mythology, at Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
- Elephants—the symbol of Thailand— guarding the entrance to the Chakri Maha Prasat Hall in the Grand Palace
- Saturday Buddha (aka Phra Naga Prok) in a pose representing the Buddha sitting in meditation, protected by a cobra hood.
- Prachi… …making her way through the crowd to see the Reclining Buddha inside Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
- The first glimpse of the Reclining Buddha… …and that’s when it hits you that this status is not only huge (15 m), but insanely long too (43 m)… …
- Phra Thinang Aphorn Phimok Prasat in the Grand Palace… …built by King Rama IV as a robing pavilion to change his regalia when entering the Maha Prasat premises, as well as the royal palaquin mounting platform
- A literal “roach coach”! The menu included bamboo worms, silkworms, crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches and other unidentifiable insects… …
- Roasted and glazed silkworms… …in case you are in the mood for something crunchy but with a silky after taste!
- On the left is a 6m-tall yaksha (demon) from the the Indian epic “Ramayana”, who watches over the Emerald Buddha, and on the right is a Hindu hermit credited with inventing yoga and herbal medicine
- Garuda, holding on to Nagas (serpents), as he peers down from one of the buildings in the Grand Palace
- Row of golden Buddhas at Wat Mahathat
- Monks offering amulets and sprinkling holy water on the devotees
- Reclining Buddha representing the Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana… …lying on the right flank, his head supported by his hand
- Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), built in the 17th century, is one of Thailand’s most famous landmarks
- Wednesday Budda (aka Phra Um Bhat)… …pose represents Buddha’s retreat to the forest; the elephant is offering a water pot while the monkey is offering a beehive
- The Phra Ham Yath pose represents “Pacifying the Relatives”… …this was used by Buddha to pacify his relatives when he returned from heaven after three months, and found them arguing about the rights to water flowing through their land
- Thursday Buddha (aka Phra Samathi)… …representing the classic meditating pose