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Wat Phra Kaew (Jade Buddha Temple), Bangkok, Thailand

 

Amongst the most magnificent sights in Bangkok is the Wat Phra Kaew temple, or the Temple of the Jade Buddha. It is a riot of gilded and colourful figures in a very concentrated area within the grounds of the King's Grand Palace in Bangkok.

It is Thailand’s most famous Buddhist temple and one of Thailand’s three national treasures. But the Jade Buddha didn’t always live in the Grand Palace in Bangkok. It has variously appeared in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya, Thonburi, Vientiane in Laos and even took a trip to Angkor Wat in Cambodia at one point. It came to Bangkok at the time the city became the national capital and the Grand Palace was built to house the royal family.

Built in 1784, the Jade Buddha Temple is the site of may of the royal and religious ceremonies dedicated to the palace, because the temple houses the Jade Buddha (also known as the Emerald Buddha). The centre of the shrine hall is declared as a national treasure of jade Buddha statues in Thailand. The Emerald Buddha itself is 66 cm high, 48 cm wide and is carved from a single piece of jade. The Emerald Buddha sits on a throne flanked by two other Buddhas representing former kings of Thailand.

Temple of the Jade Buddha-2
Temple of the Jade Buddha-3
Temple of the Jade Buddha-4
Temple of the Jade Buddha-5
Temple of the Jade Buddha-6
Temple of the Jade Buddha-7
Temple of the Jade Buddha-8
Temple of the Jade Buddha-9

Attachments

Images (9)
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-1: Entry in to the Temple compound
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-2: Beautiful ceramics
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-3: 5-headed serpants guard the temple steps
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-4: Guilded stupa containing one of the the King's parents
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-7: Demons and monkey soldiers around the base of a guilded stupa
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-5: Gigantic demons guard the temple buildings
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-6: Exquisite mythical Kinnara, half woman and half animal
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-9: Garudas all around the outside of the Jade Buddha's Temple
  • Temple of the Jade Buddha-8: The beautiful Jade Buddha (taken from outside the temple).

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."  Henry Miller

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Comments (4)

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Well thank you, esteemed Gurus! It is just SO photogenic and almost surreal in its beauty and exotic creatures. A continual "trip" to experience. And how do you ever truly capture the "essence" of the temple.... Just keep trying I guess....

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."  Henry Miller

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