MangoVine - Wat Pho Part 1 - Bangkok’s Oldest and Largest Temple

03 December, 2009
Thursday

Wat Pho - no, not a temple to the great Vietnamese noodle, but Bangkok's largest and oldest temple, which is also known as The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Apart from the Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is home to over one thousand more Buddha images.

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Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions. Today, Wat Pho remains to be the most popular place in the world to learn the art and techniques of Thai massage, as well as to receive it.

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Wat Pho was within walking distance of The Grand Palace (don't let tuk-tuk touts say otherwise!) and despite it's place as one of Bangkok's largest temples, felt intimate in comparison to the Palace grounds.

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Linh and I found Wat Pho to be a superb place to wander around and soak in the intricate and colourful, traditional Thai architecture. Check the following photos.

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