Vacation Thailand - Sightseeing Bangkok City and Temples
    tours, grand palace, temples, wats, rose gardens, floating market, safari, river kwai, dream world

Thailand has over 26,000 temples or Wats (local name). This tour will bring you to three of the most distinguished temples in Bangkok.  Wat Trimitr, the temple of the Golden Buddha. The statue is made from Solid Gold weighing 5.5tons. It is a fine example of Sukhothai art and was discovered by chance from a layer of stucco during construction of the temple. Wat Po, the temple of the reclining Buddha which is the largest and oldest in Bangkok. Wat Benchamabopit or the marble temple. This magnificent monastery was built with white Italian marble from Carrara.

This tour takes you through some of the most interesting parts of Bangkok and drive pass different commercial and residential areas, visiting the three historical temples : Wat Trai Mit, Wat Pho and Wat Benjamabophit - The Marble Temple

Wat Trai Mit - Temple of the Golden Buddha
Located at the end of Chinatown’s Yaowarat Road near the Bangkok Railway Station, this temple is known for its famous Golden Buddha. The beautiful image of solid gold is three meters high and weighs five and a half tons. It really is something worth seeing. Many years ago it was covered with a sort of cement to hide it from the invading Burmese. When it was moved the cement started cracking and it was discovered to be made out of solid gold! There are two pictures hanging near it. One is a "before" photo showing the cement covering, and one is the "after" photo, showing how it looks today. It is very beautiful and is well worth a visit.

Passing through Chinatown your next stop is Wat Po, the temple of the reclining Buddha which is the largest and oldest in Bangkok.

Wat Pho - Temple of the Reclining Buddha
Wat Pho is mainly famous for the huge reclining Buddha statue it houses. At 20 acres large, Wat Pho is the largest Wat in Bangkok, and is technically the oldest too as it was built around 200 years before Bangkok became Thailand's capital. It holds the dual honors of having both the largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand. The impressive gold-plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and is designed to illustrate the passing of the Buddha into nirvana. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration. The feet also show the 108 auspicious characteristics of the true Buddha.
The large grounds of Wat Pho contain more than 1000 Buddha images in total, most came from the ruins of the former capitals in Ayuthaya and Sukhothai  The Wat grounds are split in two sections by a road. The northern section, where most people visit, includes a large bot (temple hall) enclosed by 394 bronze Buddha images. Outside the bot, there are 152 marble slabs depicting the second half of the epic Ramakian story.  
Also near here are four chedis, constructed to honor the first three Chakri kings (two for King Rama III), and an impressive 91 other Chedis of varying sizes around the grounds. There are also chapels, rock gardens, an array of statuary, bell towers, and a library decorated with figures and pagodas made of porcelain, reminiscent of Wat Arun across the river.
However, Wat Po has more to offer. It is also the national headquarters for the teaching and preservation of traditional Thai medicine, including Thai massage. This is where all the masseurs have learnt their trade. Wat Po provides Thai massage tuition and courses are available in English.  A massage school convenes in the afternoons at the eastern end of the compound; You can also get a medicinal massage for around 200 Baht per hour Wat Pho is a must for your itinerary.

Your last stop is at Wat Benchamabopit or the marble temple. This magnificent monastery was built with white Italian marble from Carrara

Wat Benchamabophit - The Marble Temple
This temple is on Sri Ayutthaya Road near the Chitralada Palace is made of white Carrana marble so hence its tourist name is Marble Temple; this most recent of royal Wats was built at the turn of the century under King Rama V as the source of religious heritage for the future generations of Thais. It employs European ecclesiastic details, such as stained glass windows, and contains a superb cloister collection of bronze Buddha images.  The main shrine was originally intended to house a highly sacred and revered Budddha image known as Phra Buddha Shinaraja, which at the time was located in the province of Phitsanulok (approximately 300 km north of Bangkok). But when construction of the Marble Temple was complete, a replicate of the Phra Buddha Shinaraja was created and enshrined in the temple instead, due to that the people of Phitsanulok and northern Thailand were unwilling to part with their Buddha image, the main source of their religious inspiration. The principal Buddha image inside the temple is also the country's most beautiful piece of sculpture. The facial expression radiates the serenity of inner peace that the Buddha had obtained after having attained enlightenment.
Unlike most other temples, monks don't go out seeking alms but are instead visited by merit-makers between 06:00 and 07:00 hours

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