Overview
Wat Pho, officially Wat Phra Chetuphon, stands immediately south of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. An older temple of the Ayutthaya era occupied the site, and Rama I rebuilt it from 1788; Rama III then greatly expanded the complex between 1832 and 1848.
Description
The chapel added by Rama III houses the Reclining Buddha, a gold-leafed statue 46 metres long and 15 metres high that depicts the Buddha entering nirvana. The soles of its feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl auspicious symbols, and the temple as a whole holds the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand.
History and legacy
Rama III filled the temple with instructional inscriptions and sculptures on medicine, massage and other subjects, which is why it is often called Thailand’s first university. It is regarded as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, and a massage school still operates within its grounds.