Wat Pho is a
Buddhist temple in
Phra Nakhon district,
Bangkok,
Thailand. It is located in the Rattanakosin district directly adjacent to the
Grand Palace. Known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, its official name is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Ratchaworamahawihan. The temple is also known as the birthplace of traditional
Thai massage.
Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing
yoga positions. During the
Rama III restoration, plaques inscribed with medical texts were placed around the temple. These received recognition in the
Memory the World Programme on 21 February 2008, according to
Thailand's Government Public Relations Department. Adjacent to the building housing the Reclining Buddha is a small raised garden, the centrepiece being a
bodhi tree which is a
scion (cutting) of the original tree in India where Buddha sat while awaiting
enlightenment. The temple was created as a restoration of an earlier temple on the same site, Wat Phodharam, with the work beginning in
1788. The temple was restored and extended in the reign of King
Rama III, and was restored again in
1982. In
1962 a school for traditional medicine and massage was established.
Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest
wats in Bangkok (with an area of 50 rai, 80,000 square metres), and is home to more than one thousand
Buddha images, as well as one of the largest single Buddha images: the Reclining Buddha. The Wat Pho complex consists of two walled compounds bisected by Soi Chetuphon running east–west. The northern walled compound is where the reclining Buddha and massage school are found. The southern walled compound, Tukgawee, is a working Buddhist monastery with monks in residence and a school.
I love everything about Thailand. Their culture is so rich and diverse. :)Been there a couple of times and it never fails to amaze me.
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