The temple of Emerald Buddha

The temple of Emerald Buddha: History

In local language the temple is known as Wat Phra Gaeo and it was built sometime before 15th century. It was constructed to house a big image of Buddha which was created by carving a big stone of jadeite. When King ‘Rama I’ conquered Vietnam, he brought this image back with him to his land and ordered the construction of a temple where the emerald statue of Buddha was enshrined.

What to Expect?

When one enters the temple he/she faces the back of the chapel i.e. ubosot where the emerald Buddha sits. On the North of Chapel there is an elevated platform that used to hold a library which was later burnt down by a fire caused by the fireworks. King Rama I reconstructed the portion but with a different design in mind and instead of the library he commissioned a structure that was named Phra Mondop which is usually never opened to public.

During the reign of King Rama IV, two more buildings were added namely The Royal Pantheon and Phra Si Ratana Chedi plus the model version of Angkor Wat on the upper portion of the terrace.

In addition to these, following are other minor buildings:

• Ho Phra Nak is the building where the ashes of the minor royals are kept
• Wiharn Yod 
• Ho Phra Monthien Tham is a sort of library and houses a collection of Buddhist texts; since the collection is not comprehensive it is also known as auxiliary library.
• Gandharara Buddha: Built by the command of King Rama IV and was used in rainmaking rites.
• Bell Tower: Built in the reign of King Rama IV, it is said to be the only one structure in the temple which is still in its original form from the time of its construction.

Pay a visit to this well-packaged attraction near Holiday Inn Resort with an added luxury that only a car rental can endow. Book with us and get hold of a well-maintained car hire at Holiday Inn Resort through our user-friendly booking interface and call our booking support team for any assistance or query.

Related Blog Post