Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [80]
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DRESS FOR THE OCCASION
Most of Bangkok’s biggest tourist attractions are in fact sacred places, and visitors should dress and behave appropriately. In particular at Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace and in Dusit Park, you won’t be allowed to enter unless you’re well covered. Shorts, sleeveless shirts or spaghetti-strap tops, capri pants – basically anything that reveals more than your arms (not your shoulders) and head – are not allowed. This applies to men and women. Violators can expect to be shown into a dressing room and issued with a sarong before being allowed in. For walking in the courtyard areas you are supposed to wear shoes with closed heels and toes, although these rules aren’t as zealously enforced. Regardless, footwear should always be removed before entering any main bòht (chapel) or wí·hhn (sanctuary). When sitting in front of a Buddha image, tuck your feet behind you to avoid the highly offensive pose of pointing your feet towards a revered figure.
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The admission charge for the complex includes entrance to Dusit Park (Click here), which includes Vimanmaek Teak Mansion and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall.
Wat Pho
You’ll find significantly fewer tourists here than at Wat Phra Kaew, but Wat Pho (Wat Phra Chetuphon; Map; 0 2221 9911; Th Sanamchai; admission 50B; 8am-5pm; bus 508, 512, river ferry Tha Tien) is our personal fave among Bangkok’s biggest temples. In fact, the compound incorporates a host of superlatives: the largest reclining Buddha, the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and the country’s earliest centre for public education.
Almost too big for its shelter, the genuinely impressive Reclining Buddha, 46m long and 15m high, illustrates the passing of the Buddha into nirvana (ie the Buddha’s death). The figure is modelled out of plaster around a brick core and finished in gold leaf. Mother-of-pearl inlay ornaments the feet, displaying 108 different auspicious lák·sà·nà (characteristics of a Buddha).
The Buddha images on display in the other four wí·hhn (sanctuaries) are worth a nod. Particularly beautiful are the Phra Chinnarat and Phra Chinnachai Buddhas, both from Sukhothai, in the west and south chapels. The galleries extending between the four chapels feature no less than 394 gilded Buddha images, many of which display Ayuthaya or Sukhothai features. The remains of Rama I are interred in the base of the presiding Buddha image in the bòht.
Wat Pho is also the national headquarters for the teaching and preservation of traditional Thai medicine, including Thai massage, a mandate legislated by Rama III when the tradition was in danger of extinction. The famous massage school has two massage pavilions without air-con located within the temple area and air-con rooms within the training facility outside the temple (Click here). Nearby stone inscriptions showing yoga and massage techniques still remain in the temple grounds, serving their original purpose as visual aids.
The rambling grounds of Wat Pho cover 8 hectares, with the major tourist sites occupying the northern side of Th Chetuphon and the monastic facilities found on the southern side.
Amulet Market
This equal parts bizarre and fascinating market (Map; Th Maharat; 9am-5pm; river ferry Tha Chang) claims both the sidewalks along Th Maharat and Th Phra Chan, as well as a dense network of covered market stalls near Tha Phra Chan. The trade is based around small talismans carefully prized by collectors, monks, taxi drivers and people in dangerous professions. Potential buyers, often already sporting tens of amulets, can be seen bargaining and flipping through magazines dedicated to the amulets, some of which command astronomical prices.
Also along this strip are handsome shophouses overflowing with family-run herbal-medicine and traditional-massage shops, and additional street