Temple Hopping In Bangkok - Photo Essay
Temple Hopping In Bangkok - Photo Essay
No visit to Bangkok would be complete without a few temple visits, these shrines are absolutely beautiful and although no picture can ever do them justice (in some places photos are forbidden anyway) you can still get a good idea for the kind of jaw dropping sights you can expect when you visit.
The two temples visited in this article are Wat Pho, home to the reclining Buddha and Wat Saket, which towers above the city.
Almost every surface is covered with small coloured mosaic tiles, its truly an awesome sight to see they amount of work that has gone into every detail.
The bright orange robes worn by the monks at the temples are one of the most iconic symbols of South-East Asia.
The reclining Buddha is a HUGE statue that resides in Wat Pho, the sheer size of it will blow you away. One of the things I was fascinated by was the detail on the feet as you can see above.
Work started on the reclining Buddha in 1824 and took about 25 years to complete, it stands 15 meters high and lays 46 meters long.
Above: Bangkok's skyline as viewed from Wat Saket rooftop.
Fun fact: The name Bangkok is just a name used by foreigners, its real name is Krung Thep, this is an abbreviation from its full name which translates into:
"The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn."
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The gardens are as you would expect are stunning, they are full of colours and water features. The contrast of the white wall against the bright green and pink in the picture above really stood out to me.
The sun shining through the leaves and flowers during the walk up to the top of Wat Saket, this place is a tropical jungle placed right in the centre of the city.
Towering pillars inside Wat Pho that are covered head to toe with decorative flowers and colours.
Little monks having a bit of fun with the gong on the rooftop of Wat Saket.
Another interesting feature at Wat Saket was a row of incredibly realistic monk figurines, they look like the kind of thing that collectors would love!
Back to Wat Pho and the main attraction is the huge central building home to this insanely detailed Buddha shrine, the colours and details can really hold your attention. I sat in front of the shrine for a good hour just taking it all in.
Whilst sitting at the shrine a group on monks started to fill up the sitting area next to everyone and started to chant their prayers, it was both interesting and relaxing to sit and listen.
Hope you enjoyed that sneak peek into what Bangkok has to offer, hopefully you will be inspired to take the trip yourself!
For more info on Thailand, check out this guide to seeing the sights of Koh Phangan island by scooter.
Thanks for reading!
Taran here, owner of Nomad'er How Far. I'm fond of psychedelic rock, photography & videography, anything to do with space and I'm also partial to the odd gaming session. Oh and I love to travel :P Get to know me here!
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