| Bangkok Attraction | Temple of Reclining Buddha - Wat Pho (Wat Phra Chetuphon) |
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 Sheltered within a traditional Thai-style wat, the reclining Buddha is the highlight of Wat Pho. The impressive statue occupies 46 meters in length and measures 15 meters in height. Reclining Buddha image is usually built large, which relates to a story during Buddha's life. The giant Asurindarahu would like to see the Buddha, yet he hesitated to bow before him. While still lying down, Buddha transformed himself to a larger size than the giant. He then proceeded to show the giant the realm of Heaven with heavenly figures all larger than the giant. After this incident, Asurindarahu was humbled and paid due respect to the Buddha before leaving.  If one observes meticulously, the reclining Buddha statue at Wat Pho indicated Buddha is resting. As we could see, Buddha's right hand is placed on the 'pillow' holding his head. Unless the right hand of Buddha is lying next to his body, then the image denotes the stage of Buddha entering into Nirvana (passing away).  With space constraint and too many pillars within the building, capturing a good photographic image of Sleeping Buddha at Wat Pho could be challenging. However, it happens to put our creativity and skills in practice! I personally found two beautiful spots to capture the best of Buddha's image. One is between two pillars to capture Buddha's head near the entrance. While another spot is at the end, near the feet of Buddha to capture the whole piece of reclining Buddha. The mother pearls decorated on the soles of Buddha's feet that portrays the 108 auspicious characteristics of Buddha are also worth images to bring home.   Aside from the centerpiece of reclining Buddha, Wat Pho also houses more than 1,000 Buddha images. Most are from the ruins of the former capitals of Ayuthaya and Sukhothai, and they are showcased within the temple ground.    Wat Pho is open daily from 08:00 through 17:00 hours. More information on how to get there, check out at the official website here. Address: 248 Thanon Thai Wang Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand Direction: |
