Wat Pho is the largest and oldest of Thailand's many temple complexes, with over 1,000 Buddha images – but it's just one that draws all the attention.
There's something about the Reclining Buddha that fascinates. The temple where the giant golden leisurely statue is housed – Wat Pho – isn't a pilgrimage site, but its gold-leafed lounging Buddha certainly draws in the crowds. Maybe it's the sheer size (at almost 49 metres in length, the largest Buddha in Thailand). Maybe it's the pose (most of the other 1,000 Buddha images at Wat Pho sit in standard cross-legged contemplation). But perhaps it's something else – that most enigmatic of smiles playing on the Buddha's lips. And there's a good reason why he might be smiling, while reclining here at length in Wat Pho.
This site is actually one of the oldest medical centres in Thailand, and has long specialised in the rejuvenating pleasures of Thai massage. In fact, more than half of the current Wat Pho complex is given over to a monastery where Thai massage is taught. You can even book yourself in for one of Thailand's most exported of tactile skills, with a massage right here in one of Wat Pho's halls. So perhaps the Reclining Buddha's expression reflects satisfaction at the hands of his masseur. It's a nice thought.
But rather than the face, it's the feet of the Buddha that are most closely inspected by tourists. These are inlaid with mother-of-pearl, with 108 good luck symbols associated with the Buddha. That number crops up again in the temple – there are 108 bowls for donations lined up along the length of the Buddha, one for each of his 108 auspicious characters. Place a coin in one, and you may bring you your own little piece of auspiciousness.
As well as the Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho has 91 chedis in its courtyard – ornate towers which house the ashes of kings and even (allegedly) the Buddha himself. The outer façade of the temple also has 150 murals showing scenes from the epic, Ramakien, marking the journey from secular to spiritual transcendence. And if you want to take a few steps on that path, you might want to think about trying out the services of the public massage hall. It may not get you to nirvana, but it might just put a smile on your face.
