HOUSES OF THE HOLY: PART III

Located in the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown district, Wat Traimit is a classic example of the old adage "It's what's on the inside the counts."

As far as wats go, the structure is uninspiring. The compound is filled with fortune-telling machines and stalls selling various trinkets, t-shirts and other souvenirs that make it feel more like a tacky tourist trap as opposed to a place of worship.





Also known as the Temple of the Golden Buddha, Wat Traimit is home to the largest known solid gold Buddha image in the world. Standing at 15 feet tall and weighing in at approximately 5 tons, this 700-year old statue has an interesting history.



Originally covered in plaster to hide it from 18th Century Burmese invaders, the real treasure inside wasn't discovered until 1955 when movers accidentally dropped it and broke the stucco exterior. This set off a national treasure hunt for similar masterpieces, but none rivaling the Golden Buddha were ever found. Some of the original stucco coverings are displayed on the right of the statue, while on the left is another souvenir stand with a variety of knick knacks.



While this kind of extreme commercialization of a religious image at an actual temple may seem a bit crass, there does seem to be a good motive behind it. In front of the statue was this model of a future temple worthy of housing an image as magnificent as the Golden Buddha.



Supposedly all proceeds from the various souvenir stands at Wat Traimit go towards the construction of the new temple. It is slated to be completed on the 80th anniversary of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej's ascension to the throne - which would be exactly 20 years from this year.

Sadly, right behind the statue was a door with a full view of the men's toilet.

The compound did have another small temple that was actully nicer than the one that housed the Golden Buddha. The Buddha image inside was pretty standard, but outside were a few interesting statues.







Despite the long line of buses in front of the street leading up to Wat Traimit, I personally don't think that it's part of an essential Bangkok sight-seeing trip. If you find yourself in Chinatown it's worth checking out - but don't go out of your way to see it because the whole experience takes all of 5 minutes.