Wat Pho – Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho is an ancient temple from the Ayutthaya Era. In the reign of King Rama I, a new ordination hall was built, and the layout replicates the Buddhist universe with Mount Meru at the center.

The Chapel of the Reclining Buddha was constructed in the reign of King Rama Ill in 1832. it was one of the largest buildings in the city, built to house one of the largest brick and mortar Buddha statues, the fifth largest in the country.
The feet of the statue are decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay. At the center of each foot is a pattern of Indra’s heaven, which represents Bangkok, a city believed to be home to the god.

For the guardian giants of Wat Pho, many may have heard the legend of the origin of Tha Tien (bare land) , passed down orally. It is said that the open space of Tha Tien was a result of the battle between the “Wat Jaeng Giant” and the “Wat Pho Giant,” with the “Wat Pho Emerald Buddha Giant” One who prohibits the fight.
According to the legend, the Wat Pho Giant, responsible for guarding Wat Pho, and the Wat Jaeng Giant, in charge of guarding Wat Jaeng or Wat Arun on the opposite bank, were good friends. One day, the Wat Pho Giant ran out of money and crossed the Chao Phraya River to borrow money from the Wat Jaeng Giant, along with setting a date to return the borrowed money. When the repayment date arrived, the Wat Pho Giant refused to pay, stubbornly holding onto the money.
Wat Jaeng Giant endured the waiting patiently but eventually couldn’t bear it any longer. He decided to cross the Chao Phraya River to demand the money back. However, the Wat Pho Giant still refused to give it. As a result, both giants engaged in a fierce battle. Due to their enormous size and immense strength, the confrontation caused all the trees in the area to be trampled and flattened to death.
After they stopped fighting, the battleground of the giants became a completely flat and empty space, with nothing remaining.

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