03.03.10
A Couple Buddhist Temples in Bangkok
The first tour we took in Thailand included visits to a couple Buddhist temples. The first one was at the Royal Temple. This is one view of it.
There were actually several structures, so it was hard to get it all in in one shot. The little roofs seen at the bottom of this picture are actually little shrines for different Buddhas. There was incense available to light for each Buddha. I only know little bits and pieces of Buddhism, so I can’t explain much of it, but the little bit that we were told was that Thais are very superstitious, and they have a Buddha for different things. For example, if they are in need of more financial success, there’s a specific Buddha to pray to for that. If they want a child, then there’s another Buddha to pray to for that. For happiness, there’s another Buddha, and so on. The days in the week are also significant to the Thais, so they all tend to know which day they were born–i.e. Sunday, Monday, Tues, etc. I know the date I was born, but I never knew which day in the week. . . According to their religion, each day is associated with a certain color, which also has some sort of significance to the person.
This is what it looked like inside the temple.
Here’s a closeup of some of their inlaid art on their window shutters.
I believe this one was on the front door.
Just outside the temple were these bells on either side of the building. We were told that what you do is make a wish, then ring a bell. Then do it again using the next bell in line. You keep making wishes and ringing the next bell in line until you get to the end.
Toward the back there was another elevated structure (I think there was a school behind there), and from there I took more pictures, including this picture. Amazing craftsmanship, huh?
The second Buddhist temple we visited was Wat Traimit or Temple of the Golden Buddha . This temple is famous for the “golden Buddha.” This Buddha is supposed to be “solid” gold. For a little history on this Buddha, here’s a little blurb from this link:
Wat Traimit is thought to date from the 13th century. The Golden Buddha image is about 900 years old and is cast in the Sukhothai style. It is believed to have been brought first to Ayutthaya.
When the Burmese were about to sack the city, it was covered in plaster to hide its value. Two centuries later, still in plaster, it was thought to be worth very little.
But in 1957, when the image was being moved to a new temple in Bangkok, it slipped from a crane and was left in the mud by workmen.
In the morning, a temple monk, who had dreamed that the statue was divinely inspired, went to see the Buddha image. Through a crack in the plaster he saw a glint of yellow, and discovered that the statue was pure gold.
This is what it looked like on the day we visited.
Here’s one shot of the inside with the golden Buddha.
That’s Aaron off on the left side looking annoyed, heheh. He didn’t like the crowds. . .
Here’s a close up of one of their reliefs.
Here’s a closeup of one of their gold-leafed doors.
Here we are in front of one of their “money” Buddhas. I don’t know the right name for it, but we were told that if we wanted good fortune financially, then we should take our wallets and rub it three times around it’s belly. . .
After visiting the temples we were taken to a gold factory, which specialized in rubies and sapphires. They didn’t allow us to take pictures inside, so the only pic I go was this one of three of the gals who were greeting the visitors. This factory also had a nice Thai silk selection. Examples of their silk are worn by these gals.
Later in the evening we went to a cultural show. It was called Siam Niramit.
This is in the courtyard right outside of the theater. That’s me dad and mom on the left of the pic and me youngest boy, Aaron on the right.
Here’s a link to the show, http://www.siamniramit.com/ The cultural show included a buffet dinner just before the show. The food was only so-so there, but the rest of the eats in Thailand made up for that, heheheh. For anyone interested in seeing the program know that they do not allow cameras inside and they “collect” all cameras and video equipment and hold them at the front desk. No audio recording is allowed, either. . . After the show, however, they allowed pictures outside of the theater.
That ended our first tour day in Bangkok.
Marlakins
