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The Wat Pho Temple (Wat Po) is also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. For us it was a must see on our most recent trip. Having heard of and seen pictures, we were still awed by the beauty of this massive Buddha. Our original plan had been to see Wat Pho and then continue on to the Grand Palace that was nearby despite warnings from our hotel staff not to attempt the to go near the palace.
The staff warned us it would be extremely crowded. Did we listen? Of course not. I can only tell you I’m glad we went to Wat Pho first, otherwise it would have been another uneventful day, much like our Sintra attempt.
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Wat Pho Temple: a little history
The Wat Pho temple is the top of the 6 first grade as well as first-class of the royal temples. King Rama I had built the temple on a different site but this later became his main shrine. King Rama III later expanded and renovated the temple. Wat Pho temple has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand.
Wat Pho Reclining Buddha
I think, at least for me, my favorite thing at wat pho temple was the Reclining Buddha. The chapel, as well as the Buddha it houses were built by King Rama III in 1832. It is supposed to represent entry of the Buddha into Nirvana, which is the end of all reincarnations and transformations. The Buddha is massive. It is almost 50 feet high and 150 feet long.
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It is actually made of brick and then plastered over. It is finished in a highly polished gold plate. I noticed a lot of the other Buddhas were also gold-plated, save for a few that had reverted back to the patina..
Tips for visiting Wat Pho Temple Bangkok:
- Wear sandals or flip-flops. Quite a few rooms require you to take off your shoes to enter. It is a lot easier to remove sandals than take off your sneakers each and every time. It got old pretty fast 😉
- Hire a guide. I wish we had done so, but it was a lull time when we went and we were not approached by any. Since the signs are written in Thai, it would have been nice to have things explained to us so we could have had a much deeper experience.
- Make sure you’re given an English pamphlet. I am assuming they have one. We were given the Thai one, so unfortunately l can not tell you a lot about the Buddhas and the towers etc. that we saw.
- It is disrespectful to have a tattoo of Buddha on yourself , and it is actually a punishable offense (jail time), so you need to cover that up if you have one. Buddha is not an accessory according to the sign at the airport and at the temple.
- If you buy a Buddha statue, you need to carry it above your knee level as a sign of respect. I thought that was kind of weird, but what do l know?
Wat Pho Massage:
If you want a massage at the Wat Pho temple, your best bet is to make an appointment as soon as you enter, go check out the site and then go back to get your massage. You might be in for a rude awakening if you wait too late. We did not get massages there so l can’t tell you if they were better than in other places.
Bangkok Temple Dress Code:
It is important to remember that a temple is a place of worship, and therefore you should dress accordingly. For both men and women, it is preferred that you have clothing that covers your knees. For women, this would mean a longer skirt, capris or long pants. Your shoulders should be covered, therefore no tank tops for either sex. Some temples will deny you entry.
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Another thing Wat Pho Temple is famous for is the school of massage that is housed in the compound. People com from all over the world to experience the massage which is given by students. The lines are very long..always. There is also a school of medicine. It makes sense in a way, the whole place to be all about healing the mind and body.
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Temple of the reclining buddha : exterior
How long to spend at Wat Pho Temple?:
In my opinion, you need at least 3 hours or more to fully enjoy Wat Pho, definitely longer if you have a guide, especially because it is always crowded. The Wat Pho entrance fee is a reasonable 100 Baht which is about $2.50 with the exchange rate. If you plan on a massage, then you need to add time onto that.
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Should you visit Wat Pho Temple Bangkok?
We absolutely enjoyed our visit to the temple of Wat Pho. It is in my book a must see if you make it to Bangkok. The grounds are really historical and very nice. The Buddhas are lovingly taken care of. I couldn’t help thinking of the movie “The King and I” as we walked around. Like any minute, Yul Brynner was going to pop out and Anna would be teaching the kids in one of the alcoves :-). Did you know Thailand used to be called Siam? This temple is considered one of the best temples in Bangkok, and rightfully so.
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It’s really beautiful, Kemkem! And it’s impressively large if you need 3 hours to see everything. Too bad you didn’t have time for a massage from the real experts there. I am sure that would’ve been amazing and, surrounded by all that beauty, a really unique experience.
Yeah.. It was so hot and sticky and muggy, l couldn’t imagine taking off my clothes and putting them back on. I also think maybe because they’re still students, it might not be too fantastic, but since they are world famous for the massages, l am probably wrong 😉 . Wat Pho was really impressive though. I think it takes that long because of the crowds too but because the complex is so large, you can go elsewhere and come back to the place.
I loved our visit to Wat Pho, even though it was very busy there and so difficult to take a nice picture without people in it. We had not booked a massage either and missed out on the experience. But we did have a Thai massage few days later in Ko PhiPhi. I would love to go back to Thailand and explore further. Thanks for taking me back to Bangkok with your pictures and great post.
Thanks Gilda. I wonder if we really missed out on the massage. We had massages at other places too and really enjoyed them. I can’t imagine how they could have been better. Yeah..we had to wait quite a while to get any shots without people. We also want to go back to Thailand. It really was a very nice country and it would be great to discover more of it. Glad you enjoyed your trip back down memory lane.
I’ve been to Wat Pho 3 times now…it IS a beautiful place and you’ve captured it well.
We also had massages done at the temple and there was no line (Wat Pho isn’t that crowded most times). Honestly, the massage was just ok. Have had much better massages in Thailand.
Pity about not seeing the Grand Palace – yes, it’s always packed but such a beautiful place.
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Frank. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there..Wow! Now, again l’m glad we didn’t get the massages there..it might just be hit or miss l guess depending on if you get a good student 🙂 . The Grand Palace was a sea of black.. a sea of black. I keep trying to figure out how soon we can go back. I really want to see it and that old place…Wat Arun l think it is 🙂
Wat Pho Temple definitely looks like a must and, if we decide to continue on with our plan to visit Asia in a couple of months, it will definitely be on our list of “Must Sees.” The colors of the temple really pop in your photos against the back-drop of the blue sky and those huge, gold-plated Buddhas are jaw-droppingly beautiful. No wonder you felt like you’d stepped into a musical! Anita
Absolutely fabulous..really it was. No other way to describe it. Yes, if you guys visit, you must stop at Wat Pho. That reclining Buddha really is something, but l would definitely recommend a guide to put it all in perspective, but even without one, you can appreciate the beauty.
We loved it too. Thanks for the great memories.
Peta
Thank you for reading. I’m glad it brought back good memories. We have some now too 🙂
Love this photos! Bangkok has so many amazing places to visit and you shared the best of them, Kemkem!
Thanks a lot. We really enjoyed our time there and definitely want to go back for more 🙂