Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok

The Wat Phra Kaew (also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is a "potent religio-political symbol and the palladium of Thai society". It is located in the historic centre of Bangkok, within the precincts of the Grand Palace. Wat Phra Kaew is the most sacred Buddhist temple of Thailand. While construction of the temple was completed in 1784, it has a sanitised appearance as if it was built only yesterday. The temple houses a diminutive jade statue, the Emerald Buddha, of uncertain but long provenance and revered as the symbol of the Thai state. The main building is the central ubosoth, which houses the statue of Emerald Buddha. The legendary history of this Buddha image is traced to India, five centuries after the Lord Buddha attained Nirvana, till it was finally enshrined in Bangkok at the Wat Phra Kaew temple in 1782 during Rama I's reign. The Emerald Buddha, a dark green statue, is in a standing form, about 66 centimetres tall, carved from a single jade stone. It is carved in the meditating posture in the style of the Lanna school of the northern Thailand. Except for the Thai King, no other person is allowed to touch the statue. The King changes the cloak around the statue three times a year, corresponding to the summer, winter, and rainy seasons, an important ritual performed to usher good fortune to the country during each season. Visitors line up around the building for a chance to walk by the Emerald Buddha with offerings of lilies and incense. You must take off your shoes before entering the bot, and taking pictures inside is not allowed. Also show respect by sitting with your feet pointing away from the Buddha. QUESTIONS? We would like to hear from you! If you have any comments or questions about this destination or just need some general travel advice, feel free to leave a comment below! ABOUT VideoVoyage.TV is a travel channel specializing in informative videos about various travel destinations around the world. We are publishing a short video every day starting with places around Southeast Asia, but planning to extend our coverage to Europe and the Caribbean in the upcoming months. SUBSCRIBE http://www.youtube.com/videovoyagetv?... CONNECT Website: http://videovoyage.tv Facebook:   / videovoyagetv   Twitter:   / videovoyagetv   Instagram:   / videovoyagetv   YouTube:    / videovoyagetv   Google+: http://google.com/+videovoyagetv