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There are many temples and shrines in Bangkok. However the oldest temple as far as the Thai culture is aware of is the Wat Po. To get to the Wat Po you must take a boat across the river to the rear of the grand palace.
Click on the link below the Riverside BKK map to see a larger version.
The Wat Po was originally built in the 17th century and the serene face of Buddha is known as the huge reclining Buddha of the Wat Po.
The Wat Po is so big there are several parts to the temple itself. Housing many images of the Buddha. The Wat Po also has statues of different Chedis as well. Some were medicine men while others held sacred standings in the realm. The Wat Po has many artifacts and at one time in the past, the Wat Po was a learning center and the first University in Thailand.
The Wat Po is no longer a university, but is revered as being one of the most sacred places in Bangkok.There are over ninety five chedis in the Wat Po temple. Behind the courtyard contain the chedis of the four kings mondop and they are all holding sacred scriptures.
A small building can be seen near these chedis but it is not open to tourists or to the public for that matter. It is a climate controlled building along side the Wat Po temple courtyard. This building holds sacred writings that are literally written on delicate palm leaves and have been preserved in the climate controlled building for years.
The Wat Po temple sees many tourists every year, and some residents of Bangkok still come to the Wat Po temple to pray.
Inside the main part of the Wat Po is the giant alter and a even larger statue of Buddha. Both finished of pure gold and crystal. There are one hundred and fifty two stone plaques in the Wat Po temple depicting the Thai culture and also different rulers and sacred writings.
There are places in the Wat Po temple you cannot get to. This is because of the way the temple was designed many years ago. Statues blocking small buildings believed to hold remains of kings or other important historical figures.
The Wat Po temple has overcome many battles that have come and gone through the years in Bangkok, however every time, special forces had always been assigned to the temple, and it was never destroyed.
The Wat Po has only gained artifacts and figures of Buddha, nothing has ever been taken by opposing forces from the great temple.
The Wat Po is a temple that a lot of people say is a big representation of Bangkok and their respect of Buddha. To illustrate a bit more on the giant golden Buddha with the serene face in the front part of the Wat Po temple, I should note that the soles of this reclining Buddha are 150 feet away from his head. Not to mention the inlay of mother of pearl to display the 108 auspicious signs which lets everyone know this is a true Buddha.
The Wat Po temple in Bangkok is only one of many, but it is also the oldest and treated with great reverence among the Bangkok people.
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