The Temple of the Reclining Buddha - a must see when visiting Bangkok

Wat Pho known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha is a must see when visiting Bangkok. The Reclining Buddha statue and surrounding grounds are stunning with Hundreds of amazing photo opportunities. It is a Buddhist temple located in the Rattanakosin district directly adjacent to the Grand Palace. Its official name is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan.  It also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage

inside Wat Pho

Wat Pho is named after a monastery in India where Buddha is believed to have lived. Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions. An enormous Buddha image from Ayuthaya's Wat Phra Si Sanphet was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767; King Rama I (1782-1809 A.D.) incorporated its fragments to build a temple to enlarge and renovate the complex.

reclining Buddha

The image of reclining Buddha is 15 m high and 43 m long with his right arm supporting the head with tight curls on two box-pillows of blue, richly encrusted with glass mosaics. The 3 m high and 4.5 m long foot of Buddha displays are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. They are divided into 108 arranged panels, displaying the auspicious symbols by which Buddha can be identified like flowers, dancers, white elephants, tigers and altar accessories. Over the statue is a seven tiered umbrella representing the authority of Thailand.

reclining Buddha at wat pho

There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor indicating the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha. People drop coins in these bowls as it is believed to bring good fortune, and to help the monks maintain the wat. Though the reclining Buddha is not a pilgrimage centre, it remains an object of popular piety

108 auspicious characters of Buddha

The temple is considered the first public university of Thailand, teaching students in the fields of religion, science and literature through murals and sculptures. The temple is home to one of the earliest Thai massage schools. Traditional Thai massage and medicine is taught at the Traditional Medical Practitioners Association Center, an open air hall outside the temple. For Thai massage therapists, the medical inscription inside the temple acts as a base for treatment.

Tips:

• When you were looking forward to the great massage and it lived up to its reputation.  Do treat yourself with it to escape from all the people outside queuing to take photos with the Buddha.
• Any time of the year, the tropical climate is too hot. So if you are planning to be here early morning or late afternoon will be the best time.
• Don’t forget to take your free drinking water that is included at 100 baht entrance fee.
• There is also a little gift shop onsite if you want to get any souvenirs
• There are many fruit sellers outside the temple. They sell chill slices of tropical fruits like mangos and pineapples. It was nice for some baht to kill your thirsty. The Vitamin C is good for your health too.
• Do not expect to spend long there if you are going to see just the Buddha, it was around 30 minutes. But you can run out of time to see the rest of the grounds.
• A short walk from the ferry,  that will take you to the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun). A short walk on both sides, no more than 10 minutes will get you to the other attraction, both of which are must sees.

Coconut Ice cream seller at wat pho

There are a few things you need to know about the reclining Buddha:

• You cannot wear shoes inside the building.  They will give you a bag to carry your shoes in.
• You cannot wear hats inside the building
• The only place you have to cover up is when you go to see the Buddha. They ask you to cover up your shoulders and your legs - if you happen to turn up uncovered they will give you a bright green long robe to cover yourself with (around 10% of people in there were wearing one)

By "febzakri"

Continue reading ...

The Grand Palace of Thailand

The Grand Palace houses are not only the royal residence and throne halls, but also a number of government offices as well as the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. After King Rama I’s ascension to the throne in 1782 the palace was built. Prior to this, the royal palace and centre of administration had been located in Thonburi, on the west side of the chao Phraya River.

Grand Palace from outside

The new king considered the former capital to be unsuitable and decided to establish a new capital on the other side of the river. The new palace was built to serve not only as King's Residence but also as the site of some administrative offices. The royal compound has been known since then as the Grand Palace. The two earliest structures erected within the complex were the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall, and the Phra Maha Monthian.

grand palace Thailand

The palace complex covers an area of 218,000 square metres and is surrounded by four walls, 1900 metres in length. It likes the rest of Ratanakosin Island, is laid out following the general outline of Ayutthaya palaces. The Outer Court, near where you enter the complex today, housed the government departments in which the king was directly involved, such as civil administration, including the army, and the treasury. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha takes up one corner of the complex next to the outer court.

inside the Grand Palace Bangkok

In the middle is the Central Court, where the residence of the king and the halls for conducting state business were located. You are allowed to look at the fronts of the buildings in the central court, but only two of the throne halls are open to the public, and only on weekdays.

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha  inside the Grand Palace Bangkok

Behind the central court was the inner court. This was where the king's royal consorts and daughters lived. The inner court was like a small city entirely populated by women and boys under the age of puberty. Even though no royalty currently reside in the inner court, it is still completely closed off to the public.

take a break after walking at Grand Palace Bangkok

Tips:

• Be careful of touts working outside the palace area. They will offer you guided tour and their 'tour' will be to several shops where they get commissions on your purchases.
• There is a free guided tour in English. It will be available at 10:00, 10:30, 1:30 and 2:00. You can also rent an audio guide for 100 Baht (3.16 USD) plus passport or credit card to secure return.
• The Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Grand Palace grounds are open every day when not being used for state functions. 
• The audience halls in the Grand Palace are closed on weekends. You can only gain entrance to see the magnificent thrones on weekdays. 
• The Royal Pantheon in Temple of the Emerald Buddha is only open one day a year, on 6 April.

building at Grand Palace Bangkok

Admission Fee
Admission to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Central Court of the Grand Palace is 400 Baht. (includes an admission ticket to Vimanmek Mansion and several other sights around Bangkok and valid within seven days of your Grand Palace visit)

Hours: The Grand Palace is open every day from 8:30 to 3:30. Note that some buildings can not be access when there is a state function, which is quite rare.

NOTE: There is a strict dress code for visiting the Grand Palace. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is Thailand's most sacred site. Visitors must be properly dressed before being allowed entry to the temple. there is a booth near the entry that can provide clothes to cover you up properly. You can rent  a proper dress at some stalls outside the palace for some Bahts.

source:

http://bangkok-thailand-tourism.blogspot.com/2008/03/grand-palace-of-thailand.html

Continue reading ...

Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles

The museum is located to the right of the visitor’s entrance to the Grand Palace. You can visit it at the beginning of Grand Palace tour or at the ending of  tour.  It was nice and not so crowded place.  It doesn't take much time to go through the whole museum. Here, you will learn about the history of traditional Thai dress, and get to see the queen's gorgeous dresses on display. Every girl and lady should visit this!. It was well worth a visit.

Queen Sirikit Meseum Textiles - Bangkok

The museum occupied The 1870 Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building that was graciously granted for museum by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The office building - for many decades the Ministry of Finance -was completely renovated in 2003 and turned into a state-of-the-art museum;  its modern facilities include a new lobby, galleries, storage, an education studio, library, lecture hall, and Thailand’s first dedicated textile conservation laboratory.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn by Royal Command, represented Her Majesty Queen Sirikit graced the official opening ceremony of  the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles on 26 April 2012. The museum opened to the public on 9 May 2012.

The museum’s mission is to collect, display, preserve, and serve as a center for all who wish to learn about textiles, past and present, from Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia, with a special emphasis on the textiles of, and related to, the royal court and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

Hip Wrapper (phaa nung)

Tips:

• Take time to read the displays. Many people just looked at the costumes without reading the display panels. They have more information about the outfits there!
• It's a great place to enjoy nice air conditioner break after walking in the tropical heat of the Grand Palace.
• Recommend seeing the "silk show" towards the end of the museum. This is a small multimedia exhibition about silk manufacturing  The slideshow is very cool of Queen  looking super glamorous in her state appearances over the years .
• The ticket to the museum is included in the price of the Grand Palace admission. If you want to visit only this museum, there is an entrance fee that you pay at the museum.
• The museum has four exhibition rooms displaying the revival of the traditional Thai silk production and the Thai national costume through decades of the tireless work of Queen Sirikit. It also has a fabulous collection of her silk dresses.
• There is a gift shop and also a small coffee shop at the end, as it is a great place to get a wide variety of traditional and newly designed products, including decorative and functional items for the home, cotton and silk fashions and accessories, jewelry, books, stationery, and handmade silk flowers.

Visitor Information

Hours of operation: The museum is open daily from 09:00 -16:30 hrs. Last admission is at 15.30.

Admission:  For visitors to the Grand Palace, admission to the museum is included in your entry fee. Please show your palace ticket at the ticket desk for museum admission. For those only wishing to visit the museum: Adults - 150 baht / Seniors (over 65) - 80 baht / Students (with ID) - 50 baht / Youth (12-18) - 50 baht / Children (under 12) - free

Location:
Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building, The Grand Palace, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok.
Telephone: (+66) 2 225 9420, 2 225 9430
Fax: (+66) 2 225 9431
Website: www.queensirikitmuseumoftextiles.org

Special thanks to Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles for providing information and photographs for this article.

Continue reading ...