Wat Pho is home to the largest reclining Buddha statue on Earth but, it somehow feels less commercial and much more authentic than Wat Phra Kaew. It was the first temple we visited during our first visit to Bangkok and it made a huge impact on me. I could still remember the peaceful atmosphere, the silent Buddhist monks wandering around on their orange clothes, the orchids blooming and the beautiful contrast of a majority of white walls, against golden Buddha statues.
As anecdote, the day I was in Wat Pho, the princess of Thailand went there to pray too, so we were told to sit on the floor, put sunglasses off and wait until she was finished. Of course, no pictures allowed. It was interesting to see the extent to which the Thai Royal Family is worshipped. The city is covered on GIANT pictures of the King with subsequently GIANT golden frames. Meanwhile many are dying out of hunger, lack of access to healthcare or running water.
Entrance guardian
This is a really smart way for people to invest on offering, you can buy a tile so that your wish becomes part of the temple renovations.
Uber cute tiny statue with his own fresh flower necklace.
The star of the temple is the 46m long reclining Buddha, that represents his dead or transition into nirvana. His feet are equally large and the soles are inlaid with mother-of-pearl details that depict the 108 physical characteristics of Buddha. Having seen this one, it is a pleasure to wander around smaller chedi and the hallways packed with nearly 400 Buddha images - I only dared to shoot one, as people were praying and I did not want to seem disrespectful.
Manual gold-pleating of miniature Buddha statues, as seen in Wat Phra Kaew.
Ceramic and gold details looking awesome at the golden hour.
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