Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest
wats in Bangkok covering an area of 50
rai or 80,000 square metres. It is home to more than one thousand
Buddha images, as well as one of the largest single Buddha images at in length. The Wat Pho complex consists of two walled compounds bisected by Chetuphon Road running in the east–west direction. The larger northern walled compound, the
phutthawat, is open to visitors and contains the finest buildings dedicated to the Buddha, including the
bot with its four directional
viharn, and the temple housing the reclining Buddha. The southern compound, the
sankhawat, contains the residential quarters of the monks and a school. The perimeter wall of the main temple complex has sixteen gates, two of which serve as entrances for the public (one on Chetuphon Road, the other near the northwest corner). The temple grounds contain four great
chedis, 91 small
chedis, two
belfries, a
bot (central shrine), a number of
viharas (halls) and various buildings such as pavilions, as well as gardens and a small temple museum. Architecturally the
chedis and buildings in the complex are different in style and sizes. A number of large Chinese statues, some of which depict Europeans, are also found in the complex guarding the gates of the perimeter walls as well as other gates in the compound. These stone statues were originally imported as
ballast on ships trading with China. Wat Pho was also intended to serve as a place of education for the general public. To this end a pictorial encyclopedia was engraved on granite slabs covering eight subject areas: history, medicine, health, custom, literature, proverbs, lexicography, and the Buddhist religion. These plaques, inscribed with texts and illustrations on medicine, figures with pressure points for Thai traditional massage, and other subjects, are placed around the temple, for example, within the Sala Rai or satellite open pavilions. Dotted around the complex are 24 small rock gardens (
khao mor) illustrating rock formations of Thailand, and one, called the Contorting Hermit Hill, contains some statues showing methods of massage and yoga positions. There are also drawings of constellations on the wall of the library, inscriptions on local administration, as well as paintings of folk tales and animal husbandry. Rama IV later placed some ashes of Rama I under the pedestal of the Buddha image so that the public may pay homage to both Rama I and the Buddha at the same time. There are also ten images of Buddha's disciples in the hall:
Moggalana is to the left of Buddha and
Sariputta to the right, with eight
Arahants below. which is punctuated by gateways guarded by mythological lions, as well as eight structures that house
bai sema, stone markers that delineate the sacred space of the
bot. •
Phra Rabiang – This double cloister contains around 400 images of Buddha from northern Thailand selected out of the 1,200 originally brought by King Rama I. Of these Buddha images, 150 are on the inner side of the double cloister, another 244 images are on the outer side. These Buddha figures, some standing and some seated, are evenly mounted on matching gilded pedestals. These images are from different periods in Siamese history, such as the
Chiangsaen,
Sukhothai,
U-Thong, and Ayutthaya eras, but they were renovated by Rama I and covered with stucco and gold leaves to make them look similar. •
Phra Prang – There are four towers, or
phra prang, at each corner of the courtyard around the
bot. Each of the towers is tiled with marble and contains four Khmer-style statues which are the guardian divinities of the Four Cardinal Points.
Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajakarn This is a group of four large stupas, each 42 metres high. These four
chedis are dedicated to the first four
Chakri kings.
Viharn Phranorn พระวิหารพระพุทธไสยาส.jpg|Viharn Phranorn Vihara of the Reclining Buddha 2015.jpg|The Viharn containing the reclining Buddha. The tree on the right behind a pavilion is the Bodhi tree. The
viharn or
wihan contains the reclining Buddha and was constructed in the reign of Rama III emulating the Ayutthaya style. The interior is decorated with panels of mural. Adjacent to this building is a small raised garden (Missakawan Park) with a Chinese-style pavilion; the centre piece of the garden is a
bodhi tree which was propagated from the
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka that is believed to have originally came from a tree in India where Buddha sat while awaiting
enlightenment.
Phra Mondop Phra
Mondop or the
ho trai is the Scripture Hall containing a small library of Buddhist scriptures. The building is not generally open to the public as the scriptures, which are inscribed on palm leaves, need to be kept in a controlled environment for preservation. The library was built by King Rama III. Guarding its entrance are figures called
Yak Wat Pho ('Wat Pho's Giants') placed in niches beside the gates. Around Phra Mondop are three pavilions with mural paintings of the beginning of Ramayana.
Other structures •
Phra Chedi Rai – Outside the Phra Rabiang cloisters are dotted many smaller
chedis, called
Phra Chedi Rai. Seventy-one of these small
chedis were built by Rama III, each five metres in height. There are also four groups of five chedis that shared a single base built by Rama I, one on each corner outside the cloister. The 71
chedis of smaller size contain the ashes of the royal family, and 20 slightly larger ones clustered in groups of five contain the relics of Buddha. •
Sala Karn Parien – Sala Karn Parien is the preaching hall, a simple pavilion used for religious instruction for monks and laymen, and also serves as a meditation hall. This hall is next to the Phra Mondop at the southwest corner of the compound, and is thought to date from the Ayutthaya period. The building contains the original Buddha image from the
bot, which was moved here to make way for the Buddha image currently in the
bot. The Buddha image, called Phra Phuttha Satsada, is in the late Ayutthaya style. Next to it is a garden called The Crocodile Pond. •
Sala Rai – There are 16 satellite pavilions, most of them placed around the edge of the compound, and murals depicting the life of Buddha may be found in some of these. Two of these are the medical pavilions between Phra Maha Chedi Si Ratchakarn and the main chapel. The north medicine pavilion contains Thai traditional massage inscriptions with 32 drawings of massage positions on the walls while the one to the south has a collection of inscriptions on guardian angel that protects the newborn. •
Phra Viharn Kod – This is the gallery which consists of four viharas, one on each corner outside the Phra Rabiang. •
Tamnak Wasukri – Also called the poet's house, this is the former residence of Prince Patriarch
Paramanuchitchinorot, a scholar, historian and poet. The house was a gift from his nephew Rama III. This building is in the living quarters of the monks in the southern compound and is open once a year on his birthday. ==Reclining Buddha==