Places We Visited: Wat Pho

Wat Pho is a Buddhist Temple Complex in Phra Nakhon District in Bangkok Thailand. Sometimes people call it as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.

King Rama 1 rebuilt the temple complex and became the main temple where his ashes were enshrined. The temple was later expanded and extensively renovated by Rama III. The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images including a 46-meter-long reclining Buddha.

Wat Pho covers an area of 60,000 square meters and is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok. The complex consists of two walled compounds. The larger northern walled compound is called phuttawat and the southern compound is called sankhawat.

The perimeter wall of the main temple complex has sixteen gates, two of which serve as entrances for the public (one on Chetuphon Road, the other near the northwest corner).