He moved the capital to Bangkok and brought the Emerald Buddha to this location in 1785. It is actually quite a small statue, only about 75cms high. It is not, in fact, made of emerald and is a jade statue. King Rama I had two royal robes made for the Emerald Buddha, one for the hot season and one for the rainy season, and King Rama III added another, just in case it he should feel chilly during the cool season.
He spent two centuries in Laos, before being recaptured when King Taksin fought a war against that country.
General Chakri brought the statue back to Thonburi, which was, at the time, the nation's capital. General Chakri later became King Rama I, succeeding King Taksin and founding the Chakri Dynasty which has retained the throne ever since.
The Emerald Buddha enshrined here was discovered in 1434 covered in stucco and lived first in a temple in Chiang Rai.
He was moved to Lampang for a while, and then to Chiang Mai. From there, he was stolen by Lao invaders in the seventeenth century and taken to the Lao royal city of Luang Prabang, then later to the capital, Vientiane.
The temple dates from 1782, the year when Bangkok became the capital of the country, and has been added to ever since, so that there are now more than a hundred separate buildings occupying a total area of 945,000 square metres
The King himself changes these robes on the appropriate three dates every year. Note that no photographs of the Emerald Buddha are permitted.
Thailand stamps even depicted this Emerald Buddha in one of its issues.
powercarolmelb 4 years ago
He moved the capital to Bangkok and brought the Emerald Buddha to this location in 1785. It is actually quite a small statue, only about 75cms high. It is not, in fact, made of emerald and is a jade statue. King Rama I had two royal robes made for the Emerald Buddha, one for the hot season and one for the rainy season, and King Rama III added another, just in case it he should feel chilly during the cool season.
powercarolmelb 4 years ago
He spent two centuries in Laos, before being recaptured when King Taksin fought a war against that country.
General Chakri brought the statue back to Thonburi, which was, at the time, the nation's capital. General Chakri later became King Rama I, succeeding King Taksin and founding the Chakri Dynasty which has retained the throne ever since.
powercarolmelb 4 years ago
The Emerald Buddha enshrined here was discovered in 1434 covered in stucco and lived first in a temple in Chiang Rai.
He was moved to Lampang for a while, and then to Chiang Mai. From there, he was stolen by Lao invaders in the seventeenth century and taken to the Lao royal city of Luang Prabang, then later to the capital, Vientiane.
powercarolmelb 4 years ago
The temple dates from 1782, the year when Bangkok became the capital of the country, and has been added to ever since, so that there are now more than a hundred separate buildings occupying a total area of 945,000 square metres
powercarolmelb 4 years ago