THE TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA (WAT PHRA KAEW) 0 8 ENTRY

Wat Phra Kaew (Thai : วัดพระแก้ว)-THE TEMPLE OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand

The complex consists of a number of buildings within the precincts of the Grand Palace in the historical centre of Bangkok

It houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha, which is venerated as the country's palladium

Many important state and royal ceremonies are held within the temple each year, presided by the king in person and attended by government officials

This makes the temple the nation's preeminent place of worship and a national shrine for the monarchy and the state

Throughout the years-each king has donated sacred and valuable objects to the temple thus making it a treasury as well

HISTORY
King Rama I founded the Chakri dynasty and is its first king on 6 April 1782, made Bangkok the capital city and in 1783 began construction of the Wat Phra Kaew to legitimize the new Chakri dynasty

Since then, each successive king has been personally involved in adding, restoring and embellishing the temple during their reigns as a way of making religious merit and glorifying the dynasty

As the royal temple-Wat Phra Kaew continues to serve as the site of Buddhist religious rites undertaken by the king and the royal family, including major events such as coronations, royal ordinations and investiture of the supreme patriarch

The king or an appointee also attends annual ceremonies marking the major Buddhist holidays Visakha Puja, Asalha Puja and Magha Puja at the temple

3 times a year, the gold garments of the Emerald Buddha image are changed in a royal ceremony marking the change of the seasons. Annual rites are also held on Chakri Memorial Day, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, the King's Birthday and Songkran (the traditional Thai new year)

UBOSOT
The Ubosot of Wat Phra Kaew is surrounded by a low wall, eight bai sema shrines and twelve pavilions

The Phra Ubosot or ordination hall, occupies almost the entire southern part of the temple complex. The Ubosot is surrounded by a low wall; this separation emphasises the building's sacred nature

The wall contains eight small pavilions with tall spires, each housing a double bai sema stone covered in gold leaf

In Thai religious architecture, such stones traditionally denote a sacred boundary within which the ordination of monks could be carried out

THE EMERALD BUDDHA
The Emerald Buddha is considered the most sacred Buddha image in Thailand

The Emerald Buddha, or Phra Kaeo Morakot formally named Phra Phuttha Maha Mani Rattana Patimakon is the temple's main Buddha image as well as its namesake

The sacred image is of the meditating Gautama Buddha seated in the lotus position, made of a semi-precious green stone (described as jade), clothed in gold and about 66 cm tall

The multi-tiered pedestal of the Emerald Buddha is in the shape of a butsabok throne, an open pavilion on a pyramidal base, topped with a tall spire

BUDDHA IMAGE HALLS
3 structures sit along the west walls of the Ubosot, all commissioned by Rama IV

SALA
Surrounding the Ubosot, all along its 4 sides are 12 open sala rai or pavilions with grey marble bases with 6 square columns

These sala were built during the reign of Rama I for the faithful to listen to chants or sermons emanating from within the Ubosot

PHAITHI TERRACE
The Phaithi terrace with principal buildings from right to left

The PHRA MONDOP or the library contains several ornamented bookcases filled with sacred texts

The PHRA SI RATTANA CHEDI-a traditional stupa covered with gold mosaic tiles

The 2 almost identical golden identical chedi were built by Rama I to commemorate his parents, the southern chedi for his father Thongdi and the northern for this mother Daoreung

The model of Angkor Wat was borne out of an idea of Rama IV of moving one of the Khmer temples to Bangkok

However this proved unfeasible, so he ordered that a detailed scale model of Angkor Wat be made instead

7 PAIRS OF MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURES decorate the terrace, made of bronze and gilded with gold leaf. These are half-animal half-human celestial beings

Panom Mak are 18 decorative sculptures representing flowers and banana leaves offerings on a tray

Phra Sawet Kudakhan Wihan Yot contains many important Buddha images

The Bell Tower contains only 1 bell

The Ho Phra Nak is a royal mausoleum

The Ho Phra Monthiantham is a scripture hall and supplementary library

ROW OF 8 PRANGS-Each of the prang represents a different aspect of Buddhism

RAMAKIEN GALLERY
The gallery walls enclose the entire temple, and are entirely covered with murals

The gallery or Phra Rabiang is a covered corridor, walled on one side, that surrounds the entire temple like a cloister

Murals on the gallery walls depict the entire arc of the Ramakien epic, which is based on the Indian Ramayana

GUARDIANS
Statues of 12 yaksha (or giants) guard 6 of the temple's gates along 3 sides of the wall (all sides except the north)