Page 26 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2025 THAILAND

Throughout much of the country’s turbulent
history of civil wars and conquests, this
diminutive statue was coveted as a harbin-
ger of prosperity and stability. The many
rulers who possessed it moved it around the
country for centuries. Once it was disguised
by a coat of plaster and hidden in a shrine
in Chiang Rai, only to be revealed decades
later when a lightening strike exposed it and
the plaster cracked. In 1778, the army of
Rama I recovered it and four years later
moved it to Bangkok when it became the
country’s capital.
Only 26 inches tall and carved from
emerald-green jadeite, the statue reigns
atop a towering gilded “throne” in the Royal
Grand Palace temple, Wat Phra Kaew. As
with all temple visits, we removed our shoes
before joining lines that took us inside.
Since it was summer, the sitting buddha was
“dressed” in a gold and diamond cloak,
making it hard to spot in amid the floor-to-
ceiling gold. No photos were allowed in the
temple, so we were limited to long shots
outside at the entrance.
Access and views were much better at
the nearby temple of the Reclining Buddha,
an extra stop Joe suggested and we ea-
gerly accepted. Known as Wat Pho, this an-
cient complex is home to one of the largest
collections of Buddha figures in Thailand
and a long-time hub of education for Thai
medicine and massage.
In contrast to the Emerald Buddha, the
gold-plated Reclining Buddha stretches 151
feet, in a pose that represents his entrance
into spiritual enlightenment. A walkway lets
visitors see details - his long fingers, curled
hair, stretched earlobes and sensual lips, all
typical of these androgynous figures. Joe
pointed out several hairline cracks in the
gold, cause by the recent earthquake.
Mother-of-pearl inlays decorate the
soles of his giant feet with wheels (dharma)
and other auspicious symbols. Nearby are
more than 100 bronze bowls where cash
gifts bring health and prosperity to the

26 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2025