Grand Palace - Temple of The Emerald Buddha

Temple of The Emerald Buddha

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Phra Kaew (วัดพระแก้ว) (known formally as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม) is a royal chapel situated within the walls of the palace. Incorrectly referred to as a Buddhist temple, it is in fact a chapel; it has all the features of a temple except for living quarters for monks. Built in 1783, the temple was constructed in accordance with ancient tradition dating back to Wat Mahathat, a royal chapel within the grounds of the royal palace at Sukhothai, and Wat Phra Sri Sanpetch at Ayutthaya. The famed Emerald Buddha is kept within the grounds of the temple.

The temple is surrounded on four sides by a series of walled cloisters, with seven different gates. Like those ancient royal temples of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, the Wat Phra Kaew complex is separated from the living quarters of the kings. Within these walls are buildings and structures for diverse purposes and of differing styles, reflecting the changing architecture during the various reigns of the kings. Despite this, most of the buildings within adhere strictly to classical Thai architecture. The establishment of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha dates to the very founding of the Grand Palace and Bangkok itself.

Read more about this topic:  Grand Palace

Famous quotes containing the words temple of, temple, emerald and/or buddha:

    If you are ambitious of climbing up to the difficult, and in a manner inaccessible, summit of the Temple of Fame, your surest way is to leave on one hand the narrow path of Poetry, and follow the narrower track of Knight-Errantry, which in a trice may raise you to an imperial throne.
    Miguel De Cervantes (1547–1616)

    After Voltaire: envy is chained to the portico of the temple of glory and can neither enter nor leave.
    Mason Cooley (b. 1927)

    Well, Mr. Thornton, you are a wonder. It looks the way all Irish cottages should and so seldom do. And only an American would have thought of emerald green.
    Frank S. Nugent (1908–1965)

    The vast silence of Buddha overtakes
    and overrules the oncoming roar
    of tragic life that fills alleys and avenues;
    it blocks the way of pedicabs, police, convoys.
    Denise Levertov (b. 1923)