Wat
Prakaeo
: The Temple
of Emerald Buddha is a royal temple located in the east area in
the compound of the Royal Grand Palace. The temple was erected
in 1782 in the same year that King Rama 1 established Bangkok
as the capital of Thailand. Following the custom of the former
capital of Ayudhaya, no monks reside in this temple.
Wat
Pho: This
world famous temple is located right next to the Grand Palace,
on the south side. It is one of Bangkok's oldest and largest temples.
Wat Pho was built by King Rama 1 nearly 200 years ago and
houses the
gigantic gold plated reclining Buddha. This unique image is 46
meters in length and 15 meters hight with beautifully inlaid mother-of-pearl
soles. Wat Pho is also regarded as the first centre of public
education and is sometimes called "Thailand's First University."
Wat
Arun(Temple of the Dawn): Located on
the west bank
of the Chao Phraya River, Wat Arun can be reached either by Arun
Amarin Road or by crossing the river by boat from Tha Tien Pier,
near Wat Pho. The most attractive structure in this temple is
the 79 meter-hight pagoda or "Phra Prang". Wat Arun
was restored during the brief Thonburi period to be the Royal
Chapal of King Taksin. Despite its name "Temple of the Dawn",
the most beautiful view of it, is from the Bangkok side of the
river at sunset.
Wat
Suthat(The Giant swing): Located on Bamrung Muang Road, this
temple
took 27 years toi build. It is famous for the excellent murals
in the main building from the reign of King Rama 3. The viharn
should be seen for its collection of gilded Buddha images. In
front of the temple is the famous Gian Swing. Many shops surrounding
Wat Suthat are well stocked.