Wat Pariwat Ratchasongkram In Bangkok, And The Story Of The Hidden Golden Buddha, Thailand
Wat Pariwat Ratchasongkram In Bangkok, And The Story Of The Hidden Golden Buddha, Thailand
In Bangkok you can see some of the most amazing Buddhist temples in all of Thailand.
Along with the temples in Chiang Mai in the north, the temples in Bangkok are an amazing example of Buddhist architecture and priceless national treasures, collected through the centuries.
There are pure gold Buddhas, large jade Buddhas, reclining Buddhas, sitting Buddhas and larger than life Buddhas, along with amazing fearsome guardians.
A very famous gold Buddha is located in Wat Traimit temple in Bangkok.
It is a large statue that weighs 5.5 tonnes (5,500 kilograms)
It was created in the Sukkuthai Dynasty style in the 13th–14th centuries
For hundreds of years, the gold statue was covered with a layer of clay and stucco, decorated with colored glass, to conceal its true value from looters and thieves.
It was not a very refined sculpture while it was covered in clay, looking a bit crude, and it remained in this condition for more than 200 years.
Every once in a while, the monks repaired the damaged clay caused by rain and time.
Not because it was a beautiful statue, but out of respect for its age and symbolism.
During a relocation of the statue in 1955, the plaster was chipped off and the sunshine reflected golden rays.
A monk that was assigned to make the repairs noticed the gold shining through the clay.
He decided to chip off the clay to see what was inside.
He discovered the refined pure gold statue inside.
Since then, the statue has become a symbol of the great search for enlightenment that each and every one of us must go through to discover our True Selves.
We all start looking a bit crude and unrefined, and through discipline and practice, we shed the layers of clay-like personality and crude thinking, to discover our True Nature, which is pure Golden Light.
While looking for a long walking path to practice for our upcoming pilgrimage in Japan, we decided to walk to a temple by the river called Wat Pariwat Ratchasongkram.
This temple is ornately decorated inside and out with hundreds of sculptures and intricate mosaic tiles.
Unlike ancient temples that focus on traditional scenes from the life of the Buddha, most of the sculptures at this temple are drawn from contemporary stories, local myths, superheroes, spiritual deities and creatures seen in folklore and legends.
It was exciting to visit this temple.
There were no other tourists on the day we visited, but a whole second temple was still under renovation.
We will return in the future to see the complex when it is completed.
With love and blessings,
Tali
