Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Don't Miss
The Emerald Buddha
On a tall platform in Wat Phra Kaew's fantastically decorated
bòht
(main chapel), the
Emerald Buddha is the temple's primary attraction. Despite the name, the statue is actu-
ally carved from a single piece of nephrite, a type of jade. The diminutive figure (it's only
66cm tall) is always cloaked in royal robes, one for each season (hot, cool and rainy).
Some time in the 15th century, the Emerald Buddha is said to have been covered with
plaster and gold leaf and placed in Chiang Rai's own Wat Phra Kaew. Many valuable
Buddha images were masked in this way to deter potential thieves and marauders during
unstable times. Often the true identity of the image was forgotten over the years until a
'divine accident' exposed its precious core. The Emerald Buddha experienced such a di-
vine revelation while it was being transported to a new location. In a fall, the plaster cov-
ering broke off, revealing the brilliant green inside.
Later, during territorial clashes with Laos during the mid-16th century, the Emerald
Buddha was seized and taken to modern-day Laos. Some 200 years later, the Thai army
marched up to Vientiane, razed the city and hauled off the Emerald Buddha. The Buddha
was enshrined in the then capital, Thonburi, before the general who led the sacking of Vi-
entiane assumed the throne and had it moved to its present location.
Ramakian Murals
Recently restored murals of the
Ramakian
(the Thai version of the Indian epic the Ramay-
ana) line the inside walls of the Wat Phra Kaew compound. Originally painted during the
reign of Rama I (King Phraphutthayotfa; r 1782-1809), the 178 sections illustrate the epic
in its entirety, beginning at the north gate and moving clockwise around the compound.
Guardians of Wat Phra Kaew
The first sights you'll see upon entering Wat Phra Kaew are two 5m-high
yaksha
, giants
or ogres with origins in Hindu/Buddhist mythology. Other mythical creatures in the
temple compound include the half-human, half-bird
kinnaree
and the sacred birds known
as garuda, not to mention various hermits and elephants.
