Temple in Thailand

Wat Traimit

The attraction at the Temple of the Golden Buddha is, of course, the impressive 3m tall, 5.5 tonne, solid-gold Buddha image, which gleams like noother gold artefact I've ever seen.

Sculpted in the graceful Sukhothai-style, the image was 'rediscovered' some 40 years ago beneath a stucco or plaster exterior when it fell from a crane while being moved to a new building within the temple compound. It has been theorised that the covering was added to protect it from 'marauding hordes', either during the late Sukhothai period or later in the Ayuthaya period when the city was under siege by the Burmese. The temple itself is said to date from the early 13th century.

The golden image can be seen every day from 8 am to 5 pm, and admission is 20B. Nowadays lots of camera-toting tour groups haunt the place (there's even a money-changer on the premises), so it pays to arrive in the early morning if you want a more traditional feel. Wat Traimit is near the intersection of Th Yaowarat and Th Charoen Krung, near Hualamphong station.

Wat Thai @ 7:19 PM