Why is Wat Phra Kaew Important?
When people dream up their Bangkok trips, the first place they often mention is Wat Phra Kaew!
It’s a must-see landmark that everyone adds to their itinerary.
You might be wondering, though: Why is Wat Phra Kaew so important?
Its other name is Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram.
Its English name is Temple of The Emerald Buddha.
The temple was built inside the Grand Palace. Local people call as the short name ‘Wat Phra Kaew’. ‘Kaew’ is from the name of the Buddha image. It means gems. Its design is based on Wat Phra Si Sanphet from the Ayutthaya era. The palace has an inner, middle, and outer area. The temple is in the outer area on the east side. A cloister with galleries surrounds it. This is a special royal temple and is essential to the capital. No monks live here. The king and the royal family use this temple for royal ceremonies.
Most people know Wat Phra Kaew’s history, but people also tell many different stories. Some of these tales have parts that many people don’t know. Let’s read about these stories now, and you won’t doubt : why is Wat Phra Kaew important?
The Emerald Buddha’s Journey
The Emerald Buddha first appeared in Chiang Rai in 1436 AD. Someone hid the image in a stupa. A lightning strike hit an old stupa. A monk found a cement-covered Buddha image. He moved the Buddha image to the hall. A few months ago, the cement cracked at the nose. This revealed material inside. It is a magnificent green gem. The entire buddha image is pure jade. Local people saw that the Buddha image was green, so they called it the ‘Emerald Buddha’ because of the statue’s color.
From the surprising story of how they found the image, the Emerald Buddha became renowned. The Lord of Chiang Mai asked for the statue. He wanted the Emerald Buddha to stay in his city. So, he set up a parade with elephants to carry the image there. But something strange happened! The elephants would not walk the road to Chiang Mai. They only went to Lampang. The Lord and people in the situation understood. The Buddha image chose Lampang. This is the amazing miracle story that everyone still tells today!
The Emerald Buddha was in Lampang, then to Chiang Mai, then to Luang Prabang in Laos, and finally to Vientiane. For over 200 years, the revered Emerald Buddha image was in Vientiane, Laos. King Rama I led an army that captured Vientiane when he was the general, his name is Chakri. He brought the Emerald Buddha back to Thailand. Before the statue is in Wat Phra Kaew as we see nowadays, The Buddha image stayed in Wat Arun. Wat Arun is in the area that we call Thonburi. Thonburi was the capital at that time in the reign of King Taksin, the king of the Thonburi era.
A New Capital and a new era begin.
In 1782 AD, General Chakri became King Rama I and founded the new Chakri Dynasty. He decided to change the capital to be on both sides of the river. The name is Bangkok. The era’s name is Rattanakosin. King Rama I built the magnificent Grand Palace and built a special temple just for the Buddha image. The name of this temple is Wat Phra Kaew. He moved the Emerald Buddha to the main hall of Wat Phra Kaew. He did this to bring good fortune to the new capital and start a new era for Thailand smoothly.
The King and Thai people believe that the Emerald Buddha is the sacred protector and the heart of his new city.
The legend says that any city the Emerald Buddha lives in will become rich and successful.
Wat Phra Kaew is very important because it holds the nation’s most sacred Buddha image. It also sits inside the Grand Palace, which is a major place for the Thai kingdom. Not only tourists, but also Thai people hope to visit Wat Phra Kaew and respect the Emerald Buddha image at least once in a lifetime!
Besides the beauty of the Emerald Buddha, the wall paintings tell amazing stories of the Thai epic, the Ramayana, which the master artists painted beautifully. The entire area around Wat Phra Kaew is also full of beautiful sights and rich history for you to explore. This place is one of the Must-Visit temples in Bangkok that local people highly recommend.