Wat Pho
“The temple is first on the list of six temples in Thailand classed as the highest grade of the first-class royal temples. It is associated with King Rama I who rebuilt the temple complex on an earlier temple site. It became his main temple and is where some of his ashes are enshrined. The temple was later expanded and extensively renovated by Rama III. The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, including a 46 m long reclining Buddha.
The temple is considered the earliest centre for public education in Thailand, and the marble illustrations and inscriptions placed in the temple for public instructions has been recognised by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Programme. It houses a school of Thai medicine, and is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage which is still taught and practiced at the temple.”
The architecture of Wat Pho is breathtaking and the detail and extent of the ornamentation on the buildings is just incredible. It is also way less crowded than Wat Phra Kaew & the Grand Palace, and to top it all off, there are a lot of friendly cats on the temple grounds :-)
Source: Lonely Planet guide to Thailand.
