Visiting Bangkoks Golden Buddha

All that Glitters really is Gold: The Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit

There are many magnificent Buddhist temples awaiting travelers in Bangkok, but of all of the Buddhist images, none are perhaps more impressive than that of the Golden Buddha.

Located in Wat Traimit at the end of Yaowarat Road near Bangkok’s Hualampong Railway Station within walking distance of Chinatown the Golden Buddha is one of Bangkok’s must-see attractions. Although the temple itself pales in comparison to other temples in Bangkok with its rather modest and seemingly inconspicuous temple architecture, it is the Golden Buddha inside that attracts hundreds of visitors daily.

Built during the Sukhothai Period, the three meter (about 10 feet) high image of the seated Buddha is made of solid gold and weighs five and a half tons the largest of its kind in the world. The enormous statue gleams with such richness and purity that even the most jaded are inspired by its quiet strength and power that overwhelm you as soon as you approach it. To be sure, of all the Buddha images that one can see in Bangkok from the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew to the Reclining Buddha at Wat Po, the Golden Buddha is without question one of the lovelier and more serene statues found in the city.

Inasmuch as a visit to Wat Traimit should be at the top of your list of places to see when visiting Bangkok, the story behind this amazing Buddhist statue (and its discovery) is equally impressive. While it has been determined that the statue was made sometime during the Sukhothai period (13th to 15th century) one of Thailand’s more famous periods of architectural and Buddhist arts, no one knows exactly when and where. However, it was located in a temple in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya (about one hour north of Bangkok).

The story of the Golden Buddha is interesting because the statue was camouflaged to protect its identity. When the Burmese were about to sack the city, the Golden Buddha was covered in plaster to conceal it from the invaders. Obviously, the camouflage job turned out to be too good because when those responsible for covering it with plaster died so did the true nature of the Buddha image inside.

Later, the encased statue was moved to Bangkok and installed as the principal Buddha image in the main building of the Choti-naram Temple, or Wat Phrayakrai, during the reign Thailand’s King Rama III (1824-51). The temple was deserted around 1931, and the plaster-covered Buddha was moved to a temporary