Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DRESS CODE
At Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace grounds, dress rules are strictly enforced. If you're wearing shorts or a
sleeveless shirt you will not be allowed into the temple grounds - this applies to both men and women. If you're
showing a bit too much calf or ankle, expect to be shown into a dressing room and issued with a sarong (rental is
free, but you must provide a 200B deposit). Officially, sandals and flip-flops are not permitted, though the guards
are less zealous in enforcing this rule.
Despite the name, the Emerald Buddha is actually carved from a single piece of nephrite (a type of jade).
TICKETS
Enter Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace complex through the clearly marked third gate from the river pier.
Tickets are purchased inside the complex; anyone telling you it's closed is a gem tout or con artist. Remember to
keep your ticket: it also allows same-day entry to Dusit Palace Park (
Click here
).
The story begins with the hero, Rama (the green-faced character), and his bride, Sita
(the beautiful, shirtless maiden). The young couple are banished to the forest, along with
Rama's brother. In this pastoral setting, the evil king Ravana (the character with many
arms and faces) disguises himself as a hermit in order to kidnap Sita.
Rama joins forces with Hanuman, the monkey king (logically depicted as the white
monkey), to attack Ravana and rescue Sita. Although Rama has the pedigree, Hanuman is
the unsung hero. He is loyal, fierce and clever. En route to the final fairy-tale ending, great
battles and schemes of trickery ensue until Ravana is finally killed. After withstanding a
loyalty test of fire, Sita and Rama are triumphantly reunited.
If the temple grounds seem overrun by tourists, the mural area is usually mercifully
quiet and shady.
Emerald Buddha
Upon entering Wat Phra Kaew you'll meet the
yaksha,
brawny guardian deities. Beyond
them is a courtyard where the central
bòht
(ordination hall) houses the Emerald Buddha.
The spectacular ornamentation inside and out does an excellent job of distracting first-
time visitors from paying their respects to the image. Here's why: the Emerald Buddha is
only 66cm tall and sits so high above worshippers in the main temple building that the gil-
ded shrine is more striking than the small figure it cradles. No one knows exactly where it
comes from or who sculpted it, but it first appeared on record in 15th-century Chiang Rai
(in northern Thailand). Stylistically it seems to belong to Thai artistic periods of the 13th
to 14th centuries.
