Wat Pho Bangkok

Wat Pho — formally Wat Phra Chetuphon — is one of Bangkok's oldest and largest temples, and the home of the colossal Reclining Buddha. Lying on its side in a hall barely big enough to contain it, the gilded figure stretches 46 metres long and 15 metres high, depicting the Buddha entering nirvana. The soles of its feet, nearly five metres tall, are inlaid with mother-of-pearl showing the 108 auspicious signs by which a Buddha is identified. Set just south of the Grand Palace in the old royal quarter, Wat Pho is calmer and more atmospheric than its famous neighbour, with shady courtyards, hundreds of Buddha images and rows of ornate chedis. It is also the spiritual home of traditional Thai massage, and you can still have one here at the school within the grounds.

A temple stood on this site before Bangkok became the capital, but Wat Pho as it appears today was rebuilt and enlarged by King Rama I in the 1780s and expanded again under King Rama III in the 1830s. Rama III turned the temple into a kind of open public university: the walls and pavilions are covered with inscriptions and diagrams recording knowledge of medicine, astrology, history and literature, so that ordinary people could learn. Among these were detailed charts of the body's energy lines and massage points, which is why Wat Pho is regarded as the birthplace of the formalised Thai massage tradition. The great Reclining Buddha was commissioned by Rama III to mark the temple's new status. UNESCO has since added the temple's stone inscriptions to its Memory of the World register.

Beyond the Reclining Buddha itself, take time for the main ordination hall (ubosot), which holds a revered seated Buddha image and, in its base, some of the ashes of Rama I. The grounds hold an astonishing number of chedis — more than ninety in total — including four large, tile-covered royal chedis honouring the first four Chakri kings. Scattered around the courtyards are the famous stone figures of foreign traders and Chinese rock giants that arrived as ballast in trading ships, now favourite photo subjects. As you pass the Reclining Buddha, look for the row of 108 bronze bowls along the far wall: dropping a coin in each is said to bring good fortune, and the gentle clatter of coins is part of the temple's soundtrack. Compared with the Grand Palace, Wat Pho invites slow wandering.

Wat Pho sits in Rattanakosin, a five-minute walk south of the Grand Palace and right beside Tha Tien pier, where the ferry crosses to Wat Arun. Coming by metro, MRT Sanam Chai is the closest station, about a ten-minute walk; the Chao Phraya Express Boat stops at Tha Tien, and Grab reaches it from anywhere in the city. Entry for international visitors is around US$6 (200 baht) and usually includes a small bottle of drinking water. The temple is generally open daily from about 08:00 to 18:30, later than the Grand Palace, which makes it a good second stop. As at any Thai temple, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and remove your shoes before entering the hall of the Reclining Buddha.

Wat Pho's massage school is the most authentic place in Bangkok to try traditional Thai massage, and it runs as a working pavilion within the grounds. A one-hour massage costs around US$12–15 (about 420–500 baht) — more than a street shop, but you are in the temple that codified the practice, and the therapists are highly trained. It is a fitting way to recover after a morning of temple-hopping. For the temple itself, come in the morning soon after opening, when the light is soft and the Reclining Buddha hall is least crowded, or in the late afternoon once the tour groups have moved on. Pairing Wat Pho with the Grand Palace next door and a ferry across to Wat Arun makes one of Bangkok's most rewarding days on foot and water.