BANGKOK ENCOUNTER: May 13, 2009

Wat Phra Kaew

GRAND PALACE&WAT PHRA KAEW

wat phra kaew wat phra kaew

wat phra kaew
Temple Thailand
Make a Pilgrimage to Thailand's Princely Buddha
wat phra kaew is an elaborate and colourful temple that
easily distracts first-time visitors from the namesake figure:heEmerald Budda diminutive statue carved of nephrite (a type of jade,not emerald)housed in the main hall. This is one of the most revered of the Thai Buddhas,representing the legitimacy of the reigning dynasty and claiming a swashbuckler's history.The dazzing figure was discovered in northern Thailand in the 15th century when a stupa was split open by lightning.To conceal its lustre the figure was covered in plaster (a common practice during the .days of wars and bandits). Succeeding generations eventually forgot what the plaster hid inside until an accidental fall revealed the contents.In the mid-16th century ,Laotian invaders stole the sacred Buddha but the thais retrieved it in battle and used it to bestow divine approval on General Taksin who assumed the throne after the fall of Ayuthaya. the figure was placed in its present location during the reign of Rama I (King Buddha Yodfa:r 1782-1809)

wat phra kaew

Temple Thailand

The first king in the Chakri dynasty,when the capital was moved across the river from Thonburi to Bangkok in 1782

wat phra kaew

Temple Thailand

Because of its royal status,.the Emerald Buddha is ceremoniously draped in monastic and Western architectu robes,which are changed every season (hot,wet,and cool) by the king himslf.

Next door to Wat Phra Kaew is the Grand Palace (p46),a vast compound where successive kings,their families and attendants lived until Rama V (King Chulalongkorn:r1868-1910)moved the royal seat to what is now known as Dusit Palace Park (p18).The primary buildings display a fusion of Thai and Western archiectural styles and are occasionally used for official functions, but the formal grounds lack the vibrancy of the neighbouring temple.