The emerald buddha This is
the most famous place that is a must for all tourists. It is a large compound
located near Sanam Luang in the very heart of Bangkok Grand
Palace and the Temple
North of the royal residence
and linked by a connecting gateway lies the Royal Monastery of the Emerald
Buddha, one of the most venerated sites in Thailand where people convene to pay respect to the Lord Buddha and
His Teachings. The Emerald Buddha is enshrined on a golden traditional
Thai-style throne made of gilded-carved wood. Known as a Busabok, in the
ordination hall of the royal monastery. The sacred image is clad with one of
the three seasonal costumes (summer, rainy season , and winter.) The costumes are changed three times a year in a
cerermony presided over by His Majesty the King.
The Emerald Buddha is in
fact carved from a block of green jade and was first discovered in 1434 in a stupa in Chiang
Rai. At that time the image was covered with plaster and was thought to be an
ordinary Buddha image. Later,however, the abbot who had found the image noticed
that the plaster on the nose had flaked off, revealing the green stone
underneath. The abbot initially thought that the stone was emerald and thus the
legend of the Emeral Buddha image began.
Open Daily,
08.30 - 15.30 hrs.
Admission fee 500 baht to Wat Phra Kaeo
and the Grand Palace Compound. The fee includes entry to the Royal Thai
Decorations & Coins Pavilion (in the Grand Palace Compound) and to Vimanmek Mansion Ratchawithi Road
