Bangkok is known around the world for its majestic Grand Palace and the countless Buddhist temples, Wat in Thai. Nowadays, there are at least 400 Buddhist temples in the capital to visit, and the time of a holiday is certainly not enough to admire all of them. The majority of the oldest and most important temples in Bangkok dating back to Rattanakosin era, after 1782, and consequently the majority of them are located right on Rattanakosin Island area, the city's historic center, located on the East bank of the Chao Phraya River. Temples in Thailand are classified according to importance into different classes. Nine temples in Bangkok hold the status of Royal first class Wat, among these is the Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram. Best known as Wat Phra Kaew, it is the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand and is the residence of Phra Kaew Morakot, more known as Emerald Buddha, which is the most sacred Buddhist sculpture in the Kingdom and is considered the palladium of Thai Monarchy. The Thai word Wat refers to a temple complex, not to a single structure, a Wat is a defined area in which are located several sacred edifices of Theravāda Buddhism. The Thai Wat including an area dedicated to worship, named Buddhavasa, the monks' residence area, named Sanghavasa but not always present, and often a school. The Phra Ubosot, usually named Bot in Thai, is the main temple of Buddhavasa area, also known as the ordination hall. The Ubosot is an edifice for worship, only for the monks, and is used for the monastic ordination rite. It houses the largest image of Buddha of whole temple. In the temple complex there can only be a Phra Ubosot, and access is usually reserved only to monks. The Vihan is a temple similar to Phra Ubosot, but less lavish and less important. The building is used for worship, for monks and faithful, and for secondary assemblies. In Buddhavasa there may be several Vihan. The Chedi, the Thai word used to name a Stupa, has a reliquary function and contains the remains or sacred objects of Buddha. Read More
Best Palaces & Temples in Bangkok
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