Wat Pho

Wat Pho
วัดโพธิ์
The Reclining Buddha
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
SectTheravāda
LeadershipSomdet Phra Mahathirachan (abbot)
Location
CountryThailand
Wat Pho is located in Bangkok
Wat Pho
Location in Bangkok
Geographic coordinates13°44′47″N 100°29′37″E / 13.74639°N 100.49361°E / 13.74639; 100.49361
Architecture
FounderUnknown
King Rama I (re-establishment)
Completed16th century
1801 (re-establishment)[1]
Website
www.watpho.com

Wat Pho (Thai: วัดโพธิ์, pronounced [wát pʰōː] ⓘ), also spelled Wat Po, is a Buddhist temple complex in the Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is on Rattanakosin Island, directly south of the Grand Palace.[2] Known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, its official name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan[1] (Thai: วัดพระเชตุพนวิมลมังคลารามราชวรมหาวิหาร; pronounced [wát pʰráʔ tɕʰê:t.tù.pʰon wíʔ.mon.maŋ.kʰlaː.raːm râːt.tɕʰá.wɔː.ráʔ.má.hǎː.wíʔ.hǎːn]).[3] The more commonly known name, Wat Pho, is a contraction of its older name, Wat Photaram (Thai: วัดโพธาราม; RTGS: Wat Photharam).[4]

The temple is first on the list of six temples in Thailand classed as the highest grade of the first-class royal temples.[5][6] It is associated with King Rama I who rebuilt the temple complex on an earlier temple site. It became his main temple and is where some of his ashes are enshrined.[7] The temple was later expanded and extensively renovated by Rama III. The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, including a 46 m long huge reclining Buddha. The temple is considered the earliest centre for public education in Thailand, and the illustrations and inscriptions placed in the temple for public instructions has been recognised by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Programme. It houses a school of Thai medicine, and is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage which is still taught and practiced at the temple.[8]

  1. ^ a b "History of Wat Pho". Wat Pho official site.
  2. ^ Liedtke, Marcel (2011). Thailand- The East (English ed.). Norderstedt: Books on Demand GmbH. p. 56. ISBN 978-3-8423-7029-6.
  3. ^ "พระนอนวัดโพธิ์" [The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho]. Royal Institute of Thailand. 2012-12-27. Archived from the original on 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-01-13. วัดพระเชตุพนวิมลมังคลาราม (อ่านว่า พฺระ-เชด-ตุ-พน-วิ-มน-มัง-คฺลา-ราม) ["วัดพระเชตุพนวิมลมังคลาราม (pronounced: wat-phra-chet-tu-phon-wi-mon-mang-khla-ram)"]
  4. ^ Gregory Byrne Bracken (December 1, 2010). A Walking Tour Bangkok: Sketches of the city's architectural treasures. Marshall Cavendish Corp. ISBN 978-981-4302-22-7.
  5. ^ "About the Royal Buddhist Temples". Thaiways Magazine. 25 (8). 25 Jul 2008. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  6. ^ Matics 1979, pp. 1–2.
  7. ^ "The Ashes of the Thai Kings". Buddhism in Thailand.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Frommers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).