Emerald Buddha:Bangkok,Thailand

Me with Poom at The Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha
"I don't know how can one make a hallmark of such a wonderful country but for me it was a blessing in the year end.It was as if I was in the other world.The renewed sense of being,brought into me with the great Thai Regal Experience or was it spiritual or both combined? The murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana,the Garudas,the Nagas,The Demons,It took me a while to observe and take in the genuine folk tales of Thai life.No wonder The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is the country's number one tourist attraction.It was grandiose,I felt like I was in a Television serial being part of Ramayana or Mahabharata live on stage.I felt the angels were protecting and so were the demons."Kaponkap", Thank You indeed for your lovely comments in my previous posts on Thailand but this is just a start believe me."

Ankionthemove thanks Tourism Authority of Thailand,India for their support and guidance.The previous posts are:

Thailand Political Developments and Peaceful Demonstrations and Emergency Contacts
Thailand:Visa,Wat Pho Temple and Massage,Asiatic Riverfront
Thailand:A Warm Hi From Thailand
Thailand 30 Seconds Video Trailer

The Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha

                                                              A Kingdom or a Palace?

Interestingly if you remember in the last post we discussed about Ballast(The Huge,The Massive,The Small) at Wat Pho in Bangkok.Today at the Grand Palace and the Temple of Emerald Buddha these are not the Ballast we talked about,but the Demons straight from the Ramayana.There are 6 gates around these temples,and 2 Demons in front of each gate. Ravana the king of demons was the green one.

                                       Evil is the shadow of Angel with their weaknesses

In Buddhism,unlike in other religion,Demons are not bad guys.They believe everybody has the bad and the good,its about how much you can control your bad side not to come out.Here at the temple,they give these Demons a chance to look after the temples and to show the good side of their existence.

                                            ...And this is just a part of the Whole complex

The Emerald Buddha Image is the most sacred image of Thailand.It resides at the grandiose Wat Phra Kaeo(Temple of the Emerald Buddha),right next to the former residence of royalty,The Grand Palace.Tourists who come to the temple of the Emerald Buddha are surprised to see the 66 cms and 48/3 cms small Buddha at the really high pavilion.

                                  Can you guess the Emerald Buddha is for which weather?

The Emerald Buddha depending on the season "Summer,Rainy and Winter" is dressed for the occasion. Photography though,is not permitted inside the temple of Emerald Buddha.

                                                         ...And may the wishes be true

What is interesting is the lotus flowers dipped in holy water outside the temple.Wish if you may,and you might just get it.All you have to do is touch the lotus with the holy water and tap gently on your head,closing your eyes,praying for your wishes.What is fascinating here just in front of the temple,is how many Thais come here to pray.The incense stick enveloped the compound with its sweet fragrance.

The replica of Ankor Wat

The shine on the temple is of real gemstones and gold

On a detailed glance at every building in the compound,you will find that every building has 5 colors "Golden White Blue Red Green".These are embellished with unpolished gemstones not heavily sparkling but adding a royalty to the temple.The Buddhas were worshiped and so they are made of Gold,real Gold.The Royal Temple is only used to allow Garuda as the Buddha decorative because Garuda is the symbol of Vishnu God,right now they use it as the symbol of the King.Also one of at one of the side of the temple,is the small replica of the exact Ankor Wat,Cambodia.They say that the king was an architect and for him Ankor Wat in Cambodia was love at first sight.Since Ankor Wat is very large made of stone,he could not move it and hence we have a mini Ankor Wat in the temple.

Supatra River House

                                                              Food Lovers By The River

Just across the Grand Palace located on the banks of Chao Phraya River is the Supatra River House.This two storey traditional Thai House is a heaven for traditional Thai Food Lovers.We too had our best of the best in the Supatra River House with the view of the river.But as I promised we will cherish the best food locations when we learn cooking tomorrow with Amita :) and certainly not before that..

Rarin Jinda Wellness Spa

                        You choose which one - The Jet Water Spa or the Traditional Thai Spa?

Award winning Boutique Spa "Rarin Jinda" is a must visit.I always used to think how a hot stone massage would be,as in what happens when stones do the magic instead of the kneading hands we are so used to in India.It began with we chose our own aromatic oil(Lavender,Vanila,Olive,Honey anyone?) and then came one of the most relaxing massage of my life.The stones were placed at the Chakras on my back and slowly and slowly the stones were rotated and massaged with the oil.Oh so relaxing! Something I wouldn't have experienced in India.

Samudra manthan,is one of the most famous periods in the Puranas. Remember anyone?This huge Samudra Manthan is at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, shows Vishnu in the centre, his turtle Avatar Kurma below, asuras and devas to left and right. 

Ok guys with this,we end for today.Tomorrow I take you on how to cook your favorite Thai recipes,do some shopping at the flea,discuss favorite food joints and watch the whole Bangkok city from the highest tower.Any guesses to why Bangkok is Backpackers favorite,oh well on second note,there's no other place which provides such diversity. Isn't it?

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