There are many places worth visiting as you go to Thailand. Many popular places you probably see on postcards will motivate and excite you to tour these places.
WAT TRAIMIT -(Temple of the Golden Buddha)
Wat Traimit Temple houses the World Biggest Golden Buddha Image. The majestic Golden Buddha, which stand at 3.04 meters tall and weighs more than five tons, is one of Thailand’s national treasures. The Golden Buddha was cast in Sukhothai era in 13th century.
The image has a colorful history - the story goes that during the Burmese invasion of the city (to hide the valuable icon from enemies and thieves) it was concealed with plaster. In 1955, the Golden Buddha’s real nature was discovered by chance. While being transported to a new temple in Bangkok, the cover was accidentally clacked as it slipped from a hoisting equipment, showing the golden image inside.
WAT PHO – (The Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
Located in the district of Phra Nakhon and near the Grand Palace of Thailand, Wat Pho or The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is of the oldest and biggest temples in Thailand. At 20 acres large, it house more than a thousand of images of Buddha including the famous Phra Buddhasaiyas (The reclining Buddha.)
Before the temple was made, the place was basically a center of education for traditional Thai medicine and is where the traditional Thai massage started. The Wat Pho complex has two walled compounds. The northern walled compound houses the Buddha and a massage school stands. The southern walled contains the monastery of Buddhist monks (Tukgawee) and serves as the school as well.
WAT PHRA KAEW (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)
The Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. This magnificent temple is located in Phra Nakhon, within the grounds of the Grand Palace. This is Thailand’s most important and sacred temple, so visitors are expected to act with due respect inside it. Visitors are required to wear long trousers when they are enter the wat, and this rule is strictly enforced.
Unlike other temples, Wat Phra Kaew does not house living quarters for monks; rather, it has more than 100 highly decorated holy buildings, golden spires, statues, glittering mosaics and pagodas. The wall surrounding the temple area is painted with scenes from the Thai version of the Ramayana mythology, the Ramakian. The main building houses the Emerald Buddha about 60 cm to 75 cm tall and is made up of green jade (not emerald).
Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)
The Wat Arun is one of the best known landmarks of Bangkok. The temple was built in 1809, have been named “Temple of the Dawn” because the first light of morning reflects off the surface of the temple. This sacred structure comprises a colossal prang (Khmer-style tower), which represents Mount Meru (home of the gods) and is bounded by four smaller prangs that represent the four winds.
The imposing central prang is 104 meters tall and topped with a seven-pronged trident. Steep steps lead up to two terraces, which are decorated with bits of Chinese porcelain and glazed ceramic tiles. Pavilions, housing Buddha images, are found at the middle of each side of the square formed by the smaller prangs. The grounds are quite pleasant and peaceful where with murals and a main Buddha image adds majesty to the temple. The mythical guardians here are also quite impressive.
Due to it’s location, the best and most common way to get to Wat Arun is on a boat ride along the river banks. Despite it’s name, the best viewing time is during sun set when the spires of Wat Arun make an impressive silhouette against the skyline.
Wat Chalong
Located on the southern outskirts of Phuket Town, Wat Chalong is considered the most beautiful Buddhist temple and greatly respected by the local Buddhist community. Built in 1837 during King Rama’s reign, Wat Chalong architectural designs shows a typical is typical of Thai temples which emphasize on bright colors. This temple is the largest and the most ornately decorated among the 29 Buddhist temples in Phuket. Also, Wat Chalong is associated with two abbots; Luang Pho Chuang and Luang Pho Chaem, both have done great works during the tin miners’ rebellion of 1876.
As with traditional Thai Buddhist temples, Wat Chalong is simply dazzling. The main building has three floors and the temple contains several structures and halls. One of these halls, contains statues of Luang Por Chaung, and Luang Por Gluam. The Grand Pagoda is decorated with wall paintings depicting the Buddha’s life story and features various Buddha images. A recent addition to the temple is a 61.4-meter high chedi containing the Phra Borom Sareerikatat relic, a piece of the Lord Buddha’s bones brought over from Sri Lanka.
Wat Chiang Man
Wat Chiang Man is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai. It was allegedly built by King Mengrai in 1306. The temple houses the Phra Sae Tang Kamani (Crystal Buddha), one of Thailand’s the most treasured artifacts. Another famous Buddha image, the Phra Sila (stone Buddha)also rests in the temple The image is believed to have been carved around 900 AD in India.
The temple also has two Lanna style viharn, a fscinating traditional temple buildings topped with gold chedi. The larger viharn has a beautiful golden façade, which house a standing Buddha that holds a begging bowl. It is the oldest dated Buddha image in Chiang Mai, with the year 1465 inscribed in it. The smaller viharn, decorated with fine facade, contains two other smaller Buddha images in the throne of the main altar namely: the Crystal Buddha (Phra Sae Tang Khamani) which belonged to Queen Chamadevi and the Marble Buddha (Phra Sila Buddha).
One famous feature of the temple is the Chedi Chang Lom with its base decorated with 15 Sinhalese-style elephants. Beside the pagoda is the temple’s library (ho trai), with a red balcony and raised white base, a captivating lotus pond and the ordination hall (ubosot). Wat Phra That Lampang Luang
Wat Phra Tat Lampang Luang, a standard building of Lanna is located about 20 kilometers from Lampang. The temple itself is elevated and high wall is built around it. The entrance arches (Pratu Khong) is decorated with fine plaster designs. The large wooden viharn which stands next to a magnificent chedi contains a bronze Buddha statue called the Phra Chao Lan Thong. Also in the back is another Vihan with beautiful murals on wooden walls, said to be the oldest in the North. The temple also has a large collection of ancient wooden utensils.
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