🙏 Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
Thailand
About This Sacred Site
Wat Pho is one of the oldest and largest temple complexes in Bangkok, famous for its enormous Reclining Buddha statue — 46 meters long and 15 meters high, covered in gold leaf. The statue depicts the Buddha at the moment of achieving Nirvana, with its 5-meter-long feet inlaid with 108 mother-of-pearl auspicious symbols. Wat Pho is also the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The temple houses over 1,000 Buddha images — more than any other temple in Thailand — and 91 chedis (stupas). It was also Thailand's first public university, with inscribed stone tablets throughout the complex teaching medicine, history, and literature.
Key Facts
- •The Reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, covered in gold leaf
- •Birthplace of traditional Thai massage, now UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
- •Contains over 1,000 Buddha images — more than any other Thai temple
- •Considered Thailand's first public university, with educational stone inscriptions
- •The soles of the Buddha's feet display 108 mother-of-pearl auspicious symbols
Location
Coordinates: 13.7463, 100.4930
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