Wat Pho pairs major Buddhist architecture with a public archive of knowledge. Its reclining Buddha, extensive inscriptions, and historic medical teaching tradition reflect successive royal restorations that treated the temple as a place of learning as well as worship.
Guide
The reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is so long that its gilded form fills the hall, but the temple’s story extends well beyond this single image. Wat Pho began as an older monastery and was restored under King Rama I after Bangkok became the capital.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The temple’s full name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram.
- The reclining Buddha is 46 meters long.
- Wat Pho’s inscriptions were recognized in UNESCO’s Memory of the World program.
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