BANGKOK | Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha

The Philippines in 1996-1997, China in 2000, Vietnam in 2009, Japan in 2013 and 2025, South Korea in 2014 and 2024, Taipei and Taiwan in 2017 (the starting point of Trip By Trip), Singapore in 2018, Hong Kong and Macau in 2023. I like travelling to East Asia. Yet I never visited Thailand, for many westerners the starting point of Asia travels. Unexpectedly, my request for time off in January 2026 was granted, so I decided to not stay home. I booked flights to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for a ten-day gay solo trip.

After the Grand Palace, we took the bus to Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.

Wat Pho: history, architecture, education, and living tradition

Wat Pho (วัดโพธิ์), officially known as Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan (วัดพระเชตุพนวิมลมังคลารามราชวรมหาวิหาร), is one of the most important and historically significant Buddhist temple complexes in Thailand. Located in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon District on Rattanakosin Island, immediately south of the Grand Palace, it occupies a central position in both the physical and symbolic landscape of the Thai capital. Commonly referred to as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is revered not only as a religious site but also as a centre of learning, art, medicine, and traditional Thai culture.

Origins and early history

Wat Pho is among the oldest temples in Bangkok, predating the establishment of the city as the capital of Siam in 1782. Its original name, Wat Photaram, derives from the Bodhi tree monastery in Bodh Gaya, India; the site traditionally associated with the Buddha’s enlightenment. Although the exact date of its earliest construction remains unknown, it is believed that the temple originated during the Ayutthaya period and was expanded during the reign of King Phetracha in the late 17th century.

Following the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, King Taksin established a new capital at Thonburi, across the Chao Phraya River from Wat Pho.

The proximity of the temple to the new royal palace elevated its status to that of a royal monastery, administered directly under royal authority. When King Rama I later moved the capital to Bangkok and built the Grand Palace beside Wat Pho, the temple became closely associated with the new Chakri dynasty.

In 1788, Rama I ordered an extensive reconstruction of the temple complex, which had fallen into disrepair. The site was drained and rebuilt, and the king initiated a project to collect Buddha images from abandoned temples across Thailand, bringing many of them to Wat Pho for preservation.

The rebuilding process took more than seven years, and in 1801 the temple was renamed Wat Phra Chetuphon, becoming the principal temple of King Rama I. His ashes were later enshrined there, reinforcing the temple’s role as a dynastic and spiritual centre.

Over the following two centuries, Wat Pho underwent further expansions and renovations, particularly under King Rama III, who transformed it into a centre of public learning and greatly enlarged the complex.

A royal temple and Thailand’s first ‘university’

Wat Pho is classified among the highest-ranking first-class royal temples in Thailand. Under King Rama III in the 19th century, it gained a unique reputation as a centre of knowledge.

The king ordered the temple walls and buildings to be decorated with inscriptions and diagrams on a wide range of subjects, including history, literature, medicine, astronomy, linguistics, and Buddhist teachings. These inscriptions were intended to educate the general public and are sometimes described as Thailand’s earliest public encyclopaedia.

This educational function led Wat Pho to be regarded as Thailand’s first public university. The marble inscriptions and illustrations were later recognised by UNESCO as part of its Memory of the World Programme, highlighting their global cultural significance. The temple also served as a medical teaching centre before the introduction of modern medicine, and it continues to be associated with traditional Thai medical knowledge.

The temple complex and architectural layout

Wat Pho is one of the largest temple complexes in Bangkok, covering approximately 80,000 square metres.

The complex is divided into two main walled compounds: the northern phutthawat, which contains the principal religious buildings and is open to visitors, and the southern sangkhawat, which houses the monks’ residences and educational facilities. Within the complex are numerous chedis (stupas), viharns (assembly halls), pavilions, gardens, and a small museum.

The architecture of Wat Pho reflects multiple historical periods and styles, including Ayutthaya and early Rattanakosin influences.

Chinese sculptures, originally imported as ballast on trading ships, are scattered throughout the grounds, serving as guardians and decorative features. These statues illustrate the cosmopolitan nature of Bangkok during the early 19th century, when trade with China was particularly strong.

Phra Ubosot and the cloisters

The Phra Ubosot, or ordination hall, is the most sacred building in the complex and the centre of Buddhist ritual life.

Constructed by King Rama I and later enlarged by Rama III, it is elevated on a marble platform and features intricately decorated teak doors inlaid with mother-of-pearl scenes from the Ramayana.

Inside, a gilded Buddha image sits beneath a nine-tiered umbrella symbolising royal and religious authority. Beneath the pedestal are the ashes of King Rama I, allowing worshippers to pay homage to both the Buddha and the founder of the Bangkok dynasty.

Surrounding the ubosot is a double cloister containing hundreds of Buddha images from different historical periods and regions of Thailand. These statues, renovated and gilded during the reign of Rama I, represent a visual summary of Thai Buddhist art and history. The cloister is intersected by four viharns, each containing important Buddha images with distinct iconography and historical origins.

The four great chedis and other structures

One of the most striking architectural features of Wat Pho is the Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakarn, a group of four large stupas, each dedicated to one of the first four Chakri kings.

Decorated with colourful mosaic tiles, these chedis serve as royal memorials and repositories for relics and ashes. Numerous smaller chedis, many containing the ashes of royal family members, are scattered throughout the complex, reinforcing Wat Pho’s role as a dynastic mausoleum as well as a religious centre.

Other notable structures include the Viharn Phranorn, which houses the Reclining Buddha; the Phra Mondop, a scripture hall containing Buddhist texts; the Sala Karn Parien, used for preaching and meditation; and multiple satellite pavilions adorned with murals depicting the life of the Buddha.

Rock gardens, constellations, folk tales, and traditional knowledge are also depicted throughout the temple grounds, transforming the complex into an open-air museum of Thai culture and learning.

The Reclining Buddha

The most famous feature of Wat Pho is the monumental Reclining Buddha (Phra Buddhasaiyas), one of the largest Buddha statues in Thailand.

Built during the reign of King Rama III in 1832, the statue measures approximately 46 metres in length and 15 metres in height. It represents the Buddha entering Nirvana, symbolising the end of the cycle of rebirth and the attainment of ultimate enlightenment.

The statue is constructed around a brick core and covered in gilded plaster. Its feet, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, are decorated with 108 auspicious symbols associated with the Buddha, while bronze bowls placed along the corridor represent these same auspicious characteristics. Visitors traditionally drop coins into the bowls as a gesture of merit-making and to support the upkeep of the temple.

An annual celebration is held around the Thai New Year (Songkran) in honour of the Reclining Buddha.

Thai massage and traditional medicine

Wat Pho is internationally renowned as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage and as a centre of Thai medical knowledge. In the mid-20th century, a formal school for traditional medicine and massage was established at the temple, offering courses in Thai pharmacy, medical practice, midwifery, and massage. It is recognised as the first Thai medicine school approved by the Thai Ministry of Education and remains one of the most influential institutions in the field.

The temple’s walls and pavilions contain detailed diagrams of the human body, pressure points, and therapeutic pathways known as sen, which form the theoretical basis of Thai massage. Wat Pho has trained hundreds of thousands of massage practitioners who work around the world, and Thai massage as taught at Wat Pho has been recognised by UNESCO as an element of intangible cultural heritage.

Cultural, religious, and contemporary significance

Beyond its architectural and historical importance, Wat Pho remains a living religious site, with monks residing and worshippers visiting daily. It functions simultaneously as a monastery, a centre of education, a museum of Thai art and knowledge, and a major tourist attraction.

Continuous restoration work, often funded by devotees, ensures the preservation of its buildings and artworks.

Today, Wat Pho stands as a symbol of Bangkok’s layered history—from its origins in the Ayutthaya period, through the founding of the modern Thai state under the Chakri dynasty, to its contemporary role as a global centre of traditional Thai culture.

Its combination of religious devotion, royal patronage, scholarly knowledge, and artistic splendour makes it one of Southeast Asia’s most significant temple complexes and a cornerstone of Thailand’s national heritage.