The Temple of the Reclining Buddha - Wat Pho, Bangkok
Lord Vishnu, in the reclining posture, is a typical iconography in South India. There are a few such icons that are very large. The icon in Tirumaiyam temple is about 15 feet long; Malayapatti has 11 feet long icon; Tiruvanantapuram has 18 feet long icon, whereas the famous Ranganatha of Sri Rangam is 20 feet long. The rock-cut reclining image of Ranganatha in Singavaram is much larger; it is 25 feet long. The largest reclining Vishnu is in Saranga village in the Dehnkana district in Orissa. It's an immense open-air rock relief measuring 51 feet in length.
To my knowledge, the Vishnu of Saranga is the largest reclining icon of Vishnu. In this article, I am going to talk about the reclining Buddha image, which is larger than the largest reclining image of Vishnu. This image is found in Wat Pho Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. Measuring 46 meters in length and 15 meters in height, this is almost three times longer than the longest reclining Vishnu. (Still, this is not the largest reclining Buddha in the whole world. Myanmar has 90 meters long reclining Buddha. Also, it is not the largest Buddha even in Thailand. It is the third largest reclining Buddha image in Thailand.)
This temple is known as Wat Phra Chetuphon, commonly called Wat Pho, or simply as the Reclining Buddha Temple.
The temple, believed to be the oldest temple in Bangkok, is located near the most famous temple of the Emerald Buddha.
Thailand and Bangkok
Thailand officially called the Kingdom of Thailand, is a small South East Asian country located near Myanmar and Cambodia. It was formerly known as Siam.
Though Thailand is officially a constitutional monarchy, whereby the prime minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is the head of state, it is actually under the control of a military junta.
Thailand has been heavily influenced by the culture of India for several centuries. It is evident from the Indianised names of the kingdoms, cities, and even the Kings. Ramayana, the epic from India, is very popular in Thailand.
Bangkok, known as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon in the Thai language, is Thailand's most populous and capital city. It is famous for its vibrant street life, ornate temples, massage parlors and shopping.
The Temple of the Reclining Buddha
The temple of the reclining Buddha is the second most famous temple and the oldest temple in Bangkok. It was built in the 17th century CE, before Bangkok became a city. Built by King Phra Petracha, it was initially called Wat Potaram. Wat Pho, the current common name of the temple, is actually the short form of the original title.
Rama I ordered to renovate and enlarge this temple on 28th November 1793. On 10th April 1801, the temple was reopened. He enshrines some of the icons he brought from Ayutthaya in the enlarged temple. He named the temple Wat Phra Chetuphon.
King Rama III further enlarged the temple. He also made it a center of learning in 1832 CE. It is often called the first university in Bangkok. The reclining Buddha's icon was made by the same king.
This temple is regarded as the temple of the first king of the Chakri dynasty, as it was renovated when the Grand Palace was being constructed, and King Rama I took his oath during his coronation here.
The Reclining Buddha
The temple is big and has many older shrines. But, the shrine of the reclining Buddha is the most popular in the entire temple complex. The shrine is barely big enough to house the gigantic Buddha image measuring around 150 feet in length. Due to this reason, there is no way that one could get a wide shot of the entire icon.
Buddha is found reclining with his head resting on his right arm and his left arm resting on his lap. His face is turned slightly towards the direction where the devotees are standing. It is a gilded image made of brick and stucco, which illuminates with its bright yellow color like gold. Similar to the features of his divine face, his feet are also artistic. The five meters long and three meters high soles have been inlaid with mother-of-pearl and represent the 108 auspicious signs/characteristics (called Lakshanas). His ringlet curly hair, seen from the back side, looks very beautiful.
Buddha in this shrine is known as Phra Buddha Saiyas, and the shrine is called Phra Buddha Saiyas Vihara. As Buddha is in the Sihasaiyas posture, he is called as Saiyas. Sihasaiyas means Buddha, who is lying like a lion.
Khao Mor
The artificial rock gardens are found near the shrine of the reclining Buddha. It was done by King Rama III. There are 24 such small gardens named after different plants grown there. Apart from the plants, the gardens also house miniature stupas, a few statues of animals and Chinese figures.
The most exciting part of Khao Mor is the Khao Ruesidadton. It is a rock garden made by King Rama I. It houses 24 contorted hermits. The hermit figures are found in different Yogic postures. They were made in clay by Rama I. They were later cast in an alloy of tin by King Rama III.
Chinese Statues
All over the temple, there are so many Chinese figures in different styles and sizes at the inner and outer entrances, shrines, and gates. They depict warriors, noblemen, saints, and even some demi-Gods. They were made during King Rama III's period due to his trade relationship with the Chinese.
Other Parts
The complex is too big, and many shrines have many interesting features. As I did not get a chance to visit those parts of the temple, they are not covered in this article.
Happy travelling.
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