Wat Traimit - Temple of the Golden Buddha
Note: A new, larger, hall is being built for the Golden Buddha. The revered image is still on display, but expect some construction and possible changes from what is described here.
The Giant Golden Buddha image of Wat Traimit.
At one end of Chinatown, in the otherwise unremarkable temple of Wat Traimit, is hidden the world's largest solid gold Buddha image. Weighing in at five and a half tons, the 15-foot tall seated image is worth in the neighborhood of US$14 Million. That's some neighborhood!
The image has a colorful history, which is recounted in a free pamphlet distributed with your paid admission.
The Golden Buddha was cast sometime in the 13th century and is an excellent example of the gracious Sukhothai style that is still very much in favor to this day. At some point, it was covered in plaster, most likely in an attempt to hide the valuable icon from thieves or looters.
The disguise was so good that everyone apparently forgot about what was hidden beneath. King Rama III had the statue moved to Bangkok and installed in a temple near where the Oriental Hotel is today. That temple fell into disuse and was completely abandoned around 1931.
The true nature of the Golden Buddha wasn't discovered until it was moved to its present location at Wat Traimit in 1955. When the image was being prepared for its move, some of the plaster was chipped off, revealing the gold underneath. Bits of the plaster can be seen in a case to the left of the statue.
The statue sits in a plain building just barely big enough to hold it within the temple compound. On the terrace outside of the room housing the Golden Buddha are some interesting fortune-telling machines. You drop a coin in the slot and a sequence of lights indicating numbers flash around in a circle, wheel of fortune style, eventually stopping on a number. You can retrieve your fortune from the marked boxes below the machine. The fortune slips are in English as well as Thai and Chinese.
Admission Fee
Entrance to see the Golden Buddha is 20 Baht (0.59 USD), payable at a booth near the wiharn housing the image. There is also a currency exchange in the same kiosk.
Getting There
Wat Traimit is located just off Odeon traffic circle, which is dominated by the huge symbolic Chinese gate marking the entrance to Bangkok's Chinatown. As such, it makes an excellent start, or end, to a Chinatown tour, which can be started from the Ratchawong Pier of the Chaophraya River Express Boat service.
The temple is also a very short distance from Hualamphong railway station, with its many food courts and easy transportation access. It's also an easy walk from the subway station at Hualamphong.
