The Reclining Buddha image at Wat Pho, or Wat Phra Chetuphon, in Bangkok has been named among 10 of the world’s most impressive religious statues.
An article in CNN Travel states that the Reclining Buddha of Wat Pho is located just meters from Bangkok’s Grand Palace in the Wat Pho temple complex. This Reclining Buddha measures 15 meters (49 feet) high and 43 meters (141 feet) long.
According to the article, the most ornate parts are the feet, which are inlaid with mother-of-pearl panels featuring symbols that represent the Buddha, including flowers, elephants and tigers. The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho has long been regarded as one of Southeast Asia’s most impressive religious icons.
It is a Buddha image of the early Bangkok period. The gold-plated Reclining Buddha is enshrined in the hall within the monastic area, in the northwestern corner of the temple. Recognized as one of the most beautiful Buddha images in Thailand, the statue is featured in the “Sleeping Lion” position, with the Buddha lying on his right side, with the left arm placed flat along his body.
The feet of the image are decorated with 108 auspicious characteristics of the Buddha, meticulously picked out in mother-of-pearl. It is said that the best way to observe the Reclining Buddha is from the feet. The statue attracts both Thais and foreigners, who come to pay homage to the image each day. Many foreigners call the image the “Sleeping Idol.”
Wat Pho, a major temple under royal patronage, was built in the reign of King Phetracha, who ruled the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1688 to 1703. It was formerly called Wat Photharam, but the temple is popularly called Wat Pho, in short. Wat Pho underwent a major renovation during the reign of King Rama I of the Bangkok period. The King renamed it Wat Phra Chetuphon, and it was recognized later as the temple commemorating the First Reign.
In 1830, the temple was renovated again at the royal command of King Rama III, who intended to turn this temple into a major source of knowledge for all people, regardless of their social status. The King also ordered the collection of knowledge from wise men and the collection of arts and sciences on various subjects, such as traditional medicine, archeology, literature, and poetry. These subjects were inscribed on thousands of stone tablets on the walls and columns of cloisters around the temple.
Soon Wat Pho became the first “open university” in Thailand, and it is now recognized as a center for traditional Thai massage, where people can learn techniques of various natural remedies for health. Since the inscriptions at Wat Pho contain universal knowledge, which is useful not only to Thailand but also to the world at large, they are considered invaluable treasures that must be preserved for humankind.
UNESCO registered the epigraphic archives of Wat Pho as a “Memory of the World” in 2011.