Welcome to part 2 of the 10 Most Stunning Temples in Thailand and the History Behind Them. In part 1 I broke down the reason temples are so sacred in Thailand and to Thai people. I also went into greater detail about the first half of the most stunning temples in Thailand. Please feel free to read part 1 of this post here.
To quickly recap, the first 5 Thailand Temples You Simply Can’t Miss are:
#1 Wat Sri Suphan – The Silver Temple
Starting off part 2 of the 10 Most Stunning Temples in Thailand is Wat Sri Siphon or the Silver Temple. This temple is an absolute sight to behold.
It was built in the year 1500 with the intention to boast the pride of the Lanna Kingdom. The walls of this silver and aluminum temple portray stories of Buddhism, dharma stories and the history of the temple.
Pro Tip: Only men can enter inside of this temple. Women can not step foot inside, however they can freely walk around the exterior grounds. The Silver Temple is an active ordination hall (ordinations are ceremonies which men take place in before becoming monks) and women are not allowed inside due to the Lanna belief that their presence may deteriorate the holy relics buried within the temple.
#2 Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Travel about an hour and a half north of Bangkok and you’ll find pick #2 on the list of the 5 Temples You Simply Can’t Miss in Thailand, Wat Chaiwatthanaram – which means temple of long reign and glorious era. This temple was built in 1630 to honor King Prasat Thong’s mother. It was damaged extensively and largely destroyed by the Burmese armies in 1767. The temple remained deserted until the late 1980’s when the Thailand Fine Arts Department began to restore it. The temple is now open to the public and is a huge tourist attraction. The cost to enter is 50 BAHT or $1.41 USD.
#3 Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew – The Beer Bottle Temple
Temple #3 on the list of the 5 Thailand Temples You Simply Can’t Miss has quite the backstory.
Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew means the Million Bottle Temple and as the name suggests, the temple was built entirely from one million recycled beer bottles.
Yes you read that right – beer bottles. Rarely do religion and alcohol go hand in hand, however littering served as the unlikely inspiration to build this temple in 1984. One monk and his acolytes simply got fed up with all the mounting beer bottles found around Sisaket, (which is a northeastern province in Thailand near Cambodia) and intended to promote recycling and cleaning of the landscape. The monk asked people living in the area to gather all the recycled beer bottles they could find and Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew was built.
Fun Fact: The temple is mostly built from Heineken and Chang bottles. If you’ve never heard of Chang – it’s one of the most popular beers across all of Thailand.
#4 Phra Putta Mingmongkol Akenakkiri – Big Buddha
You’ll need to head to Phuket to see the next temple on this list. Phra Putta Mingmongkol Akenakkiri or Big Buddha is a statue that sits atop Nakkerd Hill. Once you’ve arrived at the very top, in addition to laying your eyes on Big Buddha – you’ll also find quite impressive views of Phuket below including, lush greenery and breathtaking views of the Andaman Sea.
The Big Buddha statue is 45 meters or about 147 feet tall and built from white marble. It’s the third-largest Buddha statue in the entire country of Thailand.
Locals and tourists pooled together funds to build the temple in 2004 after a disastrous tsunami. The statue now stands as a symbol of hope for the future.
#5 Wat Phra Kaeo – Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Last and certainly not least is Wat Phra Kaeo – the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. In fact many consider this temple to be arguably the most important temple in all of Thailand.
Wat Phra Kaeo is tucked away inside the Grand Palace in Bangkok. If you’ve never heard of the Grand Palace – it’s a huge complex of buildings in the heart of Bangkok which in the past served as the official residence for the Kings of Siam. The King, his court and the royal government were based on the palace grounds from 1782 until 1925.
Visiting the Grand Palace alone is an experience in itself – however you certainly can’t and shouldn’t miss the opportunity to explore Wat Phra Kaeo.
Inside this temple is you’ll find the famous and widely revered, Emerald Buddha. This statue dates back to the 14th century and is strongly believed to bring prosperity and good fortune to the country it resides in.
Wrapping Things Up
That’s it for the remaining 5 Thailand Temples You Simply Can’t Miss. Keep in mind the 5 temples I mentioned in this article and the first 5 in part 1 are merely 10 of more than 40,000 temples located throughout Thailand. Every single one of the 40,000+ temples have their own characteristics which make them truly special. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and exploring these temples with me. Until the next time, happy reading!
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