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A royal temple
Rama I began the temple in 1783 for his new Chakri dynasty
When Rama I made Bangkok the capital in 1782, a royal palace and temple were needed to legitimize the new Chakri dynasty. The main hall was the first building in the palace compound completed in masonry, while the king's residence was still wood.
The image
The Emerald Buddha is about 66 centimetres tall and made of green stone
The image shows the meditating Buddha seated in the lotus position. It is made of a semi-precious green stone, usually described as jade, and clothed in gold. Three times a year its gold garments are changed to mark the seasons.
66 centimetresthe height of the Emerald Buddha
The journey
The image came from Vientiane in 1779 and crossed the river in 1785
The king captured the Emerald Buddha from Vientiane, Laos, in 1779. It stayed at Wat Arun in Thonburi until February or March 1785, when it was carried across the Chao Phraya with great ceremony and installed in its present position.
A long name
The city's ceremonial name mentions the temple and the Emerald Buddha
In 1786 Rama I gave Bangkok an official name as the new capital. Translated, it mentions the temple and the Emerald Buddha itself, and it begins with The City of Angels, Great City, the Residence of the Emerald Buddha.
Each king
Every king since has added to the temple or restored it
Each successive king has taken part in adding, restoring and embellishing the temple to make religious merit. Rama III started rebuilding in 1831, and the restoration begun by Rama IV was completed by Rama V in 1882.
Day 1, morning
It comes after Grand Palace. Then Wat Pho.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Wat Phra Kaew, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.