Bangkok Part 3-More Temples

We also visited Wat Pho- the site of the reclining Buddha.

This is a rambling temple from the 16^th c. It’s the largest temple in Thailand. The Buddha barely fits inside the building that houses it. The reclining Buddha is symbolic of Buddha’s death and trip to Nirvana. It is 45 m long and is gilded in gold leaf.

This shot is just to show how large this is compared to a human head.You can see just a part of the Buddha's head along with the head of a visitor to the Temple.

In the courtyard at Wat Pho is a miniature village of 94 porcelain tiled chedi. The 4 largest commemorate the first 4 reigns of the Chakri dynasty.

There were Chinese guardian figures at a gate at Wat Pho.

 

We saw a few of the 394 gilded Buddha images contained in 4 large chapels.

There were countless Buddha images from different parts of Thailand all sitting in the lotus position. Most are waiting for private funds to be restored. ( no pictures)

 

Discussion of Buddhas. So much I didn’t know. The face shape of Buddhas varies according to when and where it was created. The hand position has meaning. For example, one hand up pointing outward means be calm. Both hands up pointing outward means, really calm down.