The origins of the statue are uncertain. It is crafted in the Sukhothai style of the 13th–14th centuries, although it may have been made somewhat later. The head of the statue is egg-shaped, a typical characteristic of
Sukhothai art in its most refined and fully developed phase. Given that Sukhothai sculpture was influenced by
Indian aesthetics, and that metal images of the
Buddha from India were widely exported during the
Pala period, it is possible that this statue reflects that influence. Later, the statue was probably moved from
Sukhothai to
Ayutthaya, about 1403. Some scholars believe the statue is mentioned in the somewhat controversial
Ram Khamhaeng stele. In lines 23–27 of the first stone slab of the stele, "a gold Buddha image" is mentioned as being located "in the middle of
Sukhothai City", interpreted as being a reference to the Wat Traimit Golden Buddha. At some point, the statue was completely plastered over to prevent it from being stolen. The statue was covered with a thick layer of
stucco, which was painted and inlaid with bits of coloured glass. When Wat Chotanaram, located near Chinatown on the site of modern-day
Asiatique, fell into disrepair and was closed, the statue was moved to its present location at the nearby Wat Traimit in 1935.
Discovery of the golden statue In 1954, a new Viharn building was built at the temple to house the statue. It was moved to its new location on 25 May 1955; there are a variety of accounts of what exactly happened next, but it is clear that during the final attempt to lift the statue from its pedestal, the ropes broke and the statue fell hard on the ground. At that moment, some of the plaster coating chipped off, allowing the gold surface underneath to be seen. Work was immediately stopped so that an evaluation could be made on the statue. All the plaster was carefully removed and during the process, photos were taken and are now displayed in the Temple for visitors. Pieces of the actual plaster are also on public display. When all the plaster was removed, it was found that the gold statue actually consisted of ten parts that fit smoothly together. A key was also found encased in plaster at its base, which can be used to disassemble the statue, allowing for easier transportation. The golden statue was discovered very close to the commemoration of the twenty-fifth Buddhist Era (2500 years since Gautama Buddha's passing) so the Thai news media was full of reports and many Buddhists regarded the occurrence as miraculous. On 14 February 2010, a large new building was inaugurated at the Wat Traimit Temple to house the Gold Buddha. The building also contains the Bangkok
Chinatown Heritage Centre and an exhibition on the origin of the Gold Buddha. ==Characteristics==