|
WAT PRAKAEO - THAILAND
Wat Phra Kaeo, commonly called the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is a royal temple located in the east area in the compound of the Royal Grand Palace. The temple was erected in 1782 in the same year that King Rama I established Bangkok as the capital of Thailand. Following the custom of the former capital of Ayudhaya, no monks reside in this temple. Wat PhraKaeo is renowned as the most beautiful and sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. It houses Phra KaeoMorakot, the Emerald Buddha, the most highly revered Buddha image carved from a single block of fine jade. Just 60 cm tall, the Emerald Buddha is an ancient statue believed to have magical powers, which was carried to Laos in the middle of the 16th century and subsequently moved to Vientiane in eastern Thailand. |
