Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Wat Pho (2)

Wat Pho is the home of the famous reclining Buddha. Words can't describe the shock of seeing just how big it was, nor can photos do it justice. Here's how Wikipedia describes it:


  • The image of reclining Buddha is 15 m high and 43 m long with its right arm supporting the head with tight curls on two box-pillows of blue, richly encrusted with glass mosaics. The 3 m high and 4.5 m long foot of Buddha displays are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. They are divided into 108 arranged panels, displaying the auspicious symbols by which Buddha can be identified like flowers, dancers, white elephants, tigers and altar accessories. Over the statue is a seven tiered umbrella representing the authority of Thailand. There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor indicating the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha. People drop coins in these bowls as it is believed to bring good fortune, and to help the monks maintain the wat. Though the reclining Buddha is not a pilgrimage centre, it remains an object of popular piety.










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