Wat Phra Si Rattanasasadaram, generally called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in English or Wat Phra Gaeo in Thai, is a temple purpose-built to house a Buddha image carved from a large solid piece of green jadite. Chaophraya Chakri, who went on to become King Rama I, brought the image from Vientiane when he captured the city in 1778. King Rama I built the temple and enshrined the Emerald Buddha there as a symbol of Siam's regained nationhood. The temple does not house any monks. Rather, it is more like the personal chapel of the royal family.
You enter the temple compound on the west side, facing the back of the chapel (ubosot) housing the Emerald Buddha. Most visitors climb up to the upper terrace before proceeding around to the entrance to the chapel. North of the ubosot is an elevated platform with three large buildings in a line. Originally, the temple's main library, the Ho Phra Monthien Tham, was on this spot, but it burned down in a fire caused by fireworks later in the reign of King Rama I. He decided to have the Phra Mondop built on this spot. King Rama IV added the Royal Pantheon and the huge Phra Si Rattana Chedi to the upper terrace.
He also commissioned the model of Angkor Wat which sits on the north side of the upper terrace.
Colorful demons supporting a stupa
North of the elevated terrace are three smaller buildings. At the northeast corner of the courtyard is the Ho Phra Nak, used as a royal columbarium housing the ashes of minor royals. In the center of the northern court is the small Wiharn Yod, which, in a break from the colored mirror tiles of the other buildings, is finished in bits of Chinese porcelain. In the northwest corner is the Ho Phra Monthien Tham, the 'auxiliary library' where Buddhist texts are stored.
Gandharara Buddha Chapel
South of the ubosot are just a couple of buildings. At the southeast corner is the Chapel of the Gandharara Buddha, built by Rama IV. The Gandhara Buddha was used in rain-making rites. Rama IV also built the bell tower in its current form. If you walk past the exit back around to the rear of the ubosot, you'll find a couple of other interesting structures and photo opportunities.
View from the exit
Almost facing the entrance is a bronze statue clothed in white said to represent the Hindu hermit who invented yoga. Behind the statue, inside the consecrated area of the chapel, is a small tower housing a ringed chedi that King Rama IV brought from the north.
The demonic guards at the temple entrances
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The entire temple is enclosed by a covered gallery, the outer wall of which is painted with elaborate scenes from the Ramakien epic. Each entrance is guarded by a pair of huge demons called yakshas. Along the eastern edge of the temple are eight tall prangs.
Multicolored towers next to the temple
» Next: Exit the temple to the middle court of the palace.
The Emerald Buddha, like many revered Buddha images in Thailand, seems to have a rather mysterious history. The ubosot (chapel) housing the Emerald Buddha is actually the only original building in the temple. It was built at the same time as the temple in 1783 to 1785. Like most of the buildings in the compound, the ubosot's exterior is finished in colored mirror tiles and gilt carving. The eaves are lined with bronze bells which tinkle is the slightest breeze.
Southeast of the ubosot housing the Emerald Buddha is a tiny chapel built in the nineteenth century to house the Gandharara Buddha image. The bronze standing Buddha has one hand gesturing towards the heavens to call down the rain and the other hand cupped palm upwards to catch the falling water. It was used in the old royal rain-making ritual. Although uncommon in Thailand, the standing Buddha in the position of 'calling down the rain' is quite common in some other countries.
Click on any of the photographs to view a larger version.
One of the gilded chedis
The demons 'supporting' the gilded chedi
Mythical creatures and topiary near the base of the chedis
Closeup of one of the 'supporting' demons
Royal Pantheon
Like many revered Buddha images, the Emerald Buddha has a mysterious past. Nobody knows when or where it was made, although it is stylistically similar to images popular in northern Thailand. The image was discovered in 1434 when lightening cracked open a chedi in a Chiang Rai temple now also known as Wat Phra Kaeo. When discovered, it was covered in plaster and the abbot of the temple kept it in his quarters until the plaster started to flake off, revealing the jade underneath.
At the eastern end of the northern terrace of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is the largest of the three halls that occupy the terrace. Called the Ho Phra Monthien Tham, it was built by the brother of King Rama I to replace an original building that burned down soon after the temple's construction.
The Auxiliary Library, Ho Phra Monthien Tham You can take it with you.
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The original Ho Phra Nak was built by Rama I a few years after the rest of the temple was constructed. It was built to house the Phra Nak Buddha image that had been rescued from Ayutthaya. 'Nak' is the Thai word for an alloy of gold, silver and copper.
The Ho Phra Nak, housing the ashes of minor royals You can take it with you.
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In addition to the Royal Pantheon and the Phra Si Ratana Chedi, Rama IV also commissioned a model of the Angkor Wat temple in modern day Cambodia. At the time, about half of Cambodia was a vassal state of Siam, and the king wanted to show the people the grandeur that was under Thai rule. As it turned out, his successor, Rama V, was forced to allow the French to occupy Indochina in order to preserve Siamese independence.
The Phra Mondop was the first building built of the upper terrace. The Ho Phra Monthien Tham, a sort of library, originally stood on the site, but was burned down by fireworks soon after the temple was built. King Rama I decided to have the Mondop built in place of the Ho Phra Monthien Tham to house the revised edition of the Buddhist Canon.
The Phra Mondop in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha The Phra Mondop is a copy of the mondop covering the Buddha's Footprint in Saraburi province.
The Phra Si Ratana Chedi You can take it with you.
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The Phra Si Ratana Chedi anchors the west end of the upper terrace. It was built by Rama IV in the mid nineteenth century at the same time as the Royal Pantheon. The chedi essentially balances the structures on the upper terrace, but it also recalls the monumental pagodas of the old capital in Ayutthaya.
Surrounding the Temple of the Emerald Buddha something like a cloister is the Ramakien gallery. The walls of the gallery are painted with murals depicting scenes from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Indian epic the Ramayana, which deals, basically, with the triumph of good over evil.
Photos of the Ramakien Gallery from the Grand Palace Some of the constant maintenance work on the gallery There are 178 panels in all.
Between the eastern gallery wall and the outer wall of the palace are of row of eight multi-colored prangs (pagodas). Two of the prangs are actually enclosed by the gallery, which had to be extended when the upper terrace was built within the temple.
The line of different colored towers called prangs. Each of the prangs is decorated in a different pastel color of Chinese porcelain. Each pagoda is said to represent one of the eight elements of the Buddhist religion.
The Royal Pantheon, called Prasat Phra Thep Bidorn in Thai, is the largest building on the upper platform. It was built on the east end of the platform, next to the Phra Mondop, by King Rama IV. It was originally intended to house the Emerald Buddha. King Rama IV observed that the Phra Mondop on its elevated platform occupied a higher position that the Emerald Buddha. He ordered the new building constructed on the platform, which was extended to accommodate it.
In the middle of the northern terrace is a small, somewhat unique prayer hall called Wiharn Yod. The wiharn is unique in its Greek cross plan and its Chinese porcelain decoration. The decoration suggests that the building dates from the time of Rama II, when such styles were the most popular.
Wiharn Yod in the north terrace of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha You can take it with you.
