Wat Pho

Right across the road from the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo, Wat Pho is Bangkok’s oldest temple. Set in an eight hectare site, full of a lively and vibrant muddle of ornate and extravagant structures, Wat Pho has a huge collection of Buddha images displayed in a series of sanctuaries. The most impressive is the 46 metre long, 15 metre high reclining Buddha built in 1832, encrusted with glass mosaics and inlaid with mother of pearl – this Buddha is a particular figure of piety in Bangkok. Wat Pho is also an important centre of traditional Thai medicine and incorporates a massage school – it has long been regarded as Thailand’s first university.