There was a secret, but not anymore!
The world’s largest solid gold Buddha statue was covered with a thick layer of stucco / like concrete hundreds years ago to hid the treasure from an invading army…
I would recommend you to put this as a MUST SEE – the Golden Buddha image in the temple of Wat Traimit, Chinatown in Bangkok.
Not only will you see the largest golden Buddha image, but you will enjoy Chinatown which is a unique area full of tasty food and high quality gold in Bangkok.
First of all, Thais call Chinatown (Bangkok), “Yoa-wa-rat” (sometimes, you will see we spell in different ways)…
For our trip, we took the MRT (subway) to Hua Lampong station, you can either take exit no.1 or no.2.
The tip is, look up to see the top of Mondop (the Golden Buddha’s hall) then walk that way, it’s so easy!
You can find the ticket counter on the right side when you are facing Phra Maha Mondop. To visit only the Golden Buddha is 40 baht/ticket (คนไทยฟรีทุกรายการ), but there are 2 floors for exhibitions which display many things and it’s very interesting to see, but you have to pay another 100baht/ticket.
There is a dress code for the temple (cover your shoulders and knees) but don’t worry, they provide wraps and pants for you at a cost of 30 baht (there’s also a deposit of 100baht).
Today we only came to visit the Golden Buddha at the 4th Floor..
The origins of this statue remain uncertain… In 1801, King Rama I, after establishing Bangkok as a new capital city of the Kingdom, and after commissioning the construction of many temples in Bangkok ordered that various Buddha images should be brought to Bangkok from the ruined temples around the country. So this was the time that the Golden Buddha was probably brought from Ayutthaya to Bangkok…
At some point of time the statue was completely plastered over to prevent it from being stolen. Thus, the statue was covered with a thick layer of stucco. It is believed that this plastering over took place before the destruction of the Ayutthaya kingdom by Enemy invaders in 1767. The statue remained among the ruins of Ayutthaya without attracting much attention.
In 1954, a new Viharn building was built at the Temple, so it was decided to house the statue there.
During the final attempt to lift the statue from its pedestal the ropes holding the statue broke, and the statue fell down hard on the ground. At that time some of the plaster coating of the statue chipped off allowing the gold surface underneath to be seen!!!
When the plaster was being removed it was also found that the gold statue actually consists of nine parts that all fit smoothly together. Also, a key was found encased in plaster at its base. This key could be used to disassemble the statue, to facilitate its transportation…
The Golden Buddha is in the Sukhothai-styled Buddha image. The Buddha was probably covered since Sukhothai or during Ayutthaya Kingdom! The Buddha is more than 600 years old. The technique and tools that were used to make the Golden Buddha in that ancient time is really amazing!
This is not just the power of faith in Thailand, the statue also holds the world’s record for the largest golden Buddha as “It is 3-04 m 10 ft tall and weighs an estimated 51/2 tonnes. At the April 1990 price of $ 227 per fine ounce, its intrinsic worth was $ 21.1 million…”
When you walk down from visiting the Golden Buddha – maybe you will find your picture downstairs!
Thais come to visit the Golden Buddha for blessing but tourists come to see the miracle of the Golden Buddha – so why not come to see with your own eyes!
Before you step out of the temple grounds, you will find a noodle shop at the temple gate – it’s always a long line for the homemade dumpling noodle… Try it!
Next, it’s time to walk around China Town and try all the street food!
We can’t tell you which food to eat, food is all around the street and they all are really good!
Something’s we can only find in Chinatown and only in this town, Bangkok!
We ended our tour with a Thai traditional massage!!!
If you can stay until the evening, there will be even more food to try. China Town is a great place for Seafood for your dinner!
Note: Visited date 1 September 2013
can you list the steps you took in whatever photo editing program you used to efficiently cartoon effect the people in the photos – or was it a lot of labor?