Wat Pho, or by its common name - "Temple of the Reclining Buddha", is one of the most important and well-known temples in Bangkok and even in Thailand as a whole. This is an impressive and beautiful temple complex, where the main attraction, you guessed it, is a huge Buddha statue.
The official Thai name of the complex is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Ratchawaworamahawihan. Of course, this is too long a name that cannot be pronounced, so a common abbreviation used by tourists and locals was chosen. The beautiful temple is located in the historical center of Bangkok, near the Chao Phraya River and the Tha Tian ferry station. It was built during the 17th and 18th centuries by the local royal dynasty (Rama) and contains the ashes of some of the royal family.
The reclining Buddha statue (Phra Buddha Saiyas) is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. This is the third largest old Buddha statue in the country and it attracts hundreds and even thousands of curious visitors from all over the world every day. The gold-plated statue shows the image of Buddha in a state of "Nirvana" - the final peace he reached after his multiple rebirths, according to Buddhist tradition.
In the central temple of the complex - Phra Ubosot, considered the holiest site in the complex (surprisingly, it is not the abode of the reclining Buddha statue). In this temple the Buddhist monks perform religious ceremonies and pray around the seated Buddha statue - Phra Buddha Theva Patimakorn.
In the rest of the area of the complex you can admire many stone sculptures (there are several hundreds!), colorful mosaics, traditional works of art, altar places and various displays.
In addition to this, the place has a professional massage school and an institute where you can get a traditional and relaxing Thai massage, in case you get tired of wandering around the place. The prices are a little more expensive than the rest of the city, around 600 baht per massage hour, but it should be noted that the massages given there are considered to be of particularly high quality.
The Reclining Buddha Temple is located near other popular tourist sites in Bangkok - the Royal Palace and another temple - Wat Arun. That's why most travelers in the area combine a visit to the three places.
The area can be reached by ferry or boat from the river, to the nearby Tha Tien station. From there it is a few more minutes of walking towards the temple. Another and less cheap option is to get there by taxi. There are no trains or buses that come directly to the complex.
The opening times of the place are every day at 8:00-18:30. The most recommended time to visit the temple is in the early morning. Around 10:00 the place starts to fill up with visitors and accordingly the density will increase and the photos you can take will be less successful.
Entrance ticket price is 200 baht per person (purchase on site only). Another option is to purchase a guided temple tour in the city, which almost always includes a visit to Wat Pho.
