| A visit to Bangkok is not complete without touring the
magnificent Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat
Phra Kaew. Though the grounds of the complex are almost always
filled with tourists milling about, a visit to the complex is still
worth your while. Wat Phra Kaew is composed of six major
structures namely: Phra Sri Ratana; Phra Mondhob; Prasart Phra
Debidorn; Angkor Wat replica; Phra Viharn Yod and the Temple of the
Emerald Buddha. Within the temple complex are other chedis,
monuments and pavilions that are magnificent testimonies of Thai and
Khmer architecture filled with significant religious Buddhist items.
The Phra Sri Ratana Chedi houses the ashes of the Buddha.
The holiest shrine in all of Thailand is the Temple of the
Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram. It houses the 2
feet tall jade Buddha said to have come from Sri Lanka but was
classified as a 14th century Thai craft by art historians. The
Emerald Buddha is made of Jade and was believed to have been hidden
in a plaster cast up until that time in 1434 when lightning hit it
and freed the Buddha statue in Chiang Rai. The King of Chiang Mai
wanted the Buddha for himself so he took it but was repeatedly held
back in Lampang so the statue remained there for 32 years. The
statue even reached Laos and stayed there for more than 200 years
until General Chakri (King Rama 1) took it and enshrined it in its
present bot (or shrine). It was believed by the Thais that the
Emerald Buddha must remain in Bangkok for any upset will end the
reign of the present Chakri Dynasty.
Today, the Emerald Buddha is seated on a golden altar centrally
located in the temple. It sits high up in its glass-encased throne.
Picture-taking inside the temple is strictly prohibited. Like all
Buddha statues in all of Thailand, the Emerald Buddha has a change
of royal robe three times a year done by no less than the present
King of Thailand. The costumes change corresponds to summer
(diamond-encrusted); winter (golden) and rainy season (gilded robe
and head-dress). Though the shrine is the holiest in all of
Thailand, there are no resided monks in the complex.
The interior of the temple are decorated in late Ayutthaya-style
life-size wall paintings or murals. The murals depict the sacred
life of the Buddha as he triumphs over the evil goddess Mara after
which the murals depict his steps to enlightenment and the Buddhism
study of the universe.
The perimeter of the shrine is surrounded by 12 open pavilions
that were built during King Rama I’s reign. The walls of the
compound are painted with murals that depict the Thai national epic
called Ramakien on 178 scenes. This epic is the Thai counterpart of
the Indian epic titled Ramayana. The murals were commissioned by
Rama I and were last restores sometime in 1982.
A strict dress code is observed in the temple grounds. No shorts
and sleeveless shirts and sleepers or sandals are allowed in this
most sacred temple of Thailand. |
