A 14th centenary image in the Sukhothai style, is considered one of the most beautiful in Thai buddhism. It occupies the central nave of Wat Mahathat in thenorthern city of Phitsanuloke and is said to have wept blood when the town eas defeated by the armies of Ayutthaya the same century.
left Buddha images may well outnumber Thailand's inhabitants, so numerous are they. The principal Buddha at top right is attended by dozens of lesser images in the nave of Wat Mahathat in Petchburi, sixty miles south of Bangkok.
right The haunting yet serene face of a Lopburi period Buddha image (8th - 13th centuries) is conserved in Bangkok's National Museum. The Lopburi style was inspired by the artists of Angkor Wat whose empire spread westward from present-day Cambodia and dotted Thailand's
North-east with beautiful temples.
Wat Intharawiharn
Or Wat Inn, in Bangkok. A 105-feet high statue of Buddha, called Luang Pho Toh
Emerald Buddha was placed in the royal chapel of Wat Phra Kaew in 1782 after king of the Chakri dynasty, King Rama 1, led an army to victory against the king of Laos. The image, which had a turbulent life as a prized captive in several royal cities, was take in triumph to Bangkok where it has since resided,revered as the holiest image in the kingdom. At the onset of the three Thai seasons - cold, hot, and rainy - its robes are changed to the appropriate gard, in a solemn ceremony presided over by King Bhumibol.
Mae Toranee, the mythical goddess who wrung rivers of water from her hair to drown the demons disturbing the meditating Buddha as he reached Enlightenment, stands near Sanam Luang Park.
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Thailand
The Kingdom Of Golden Temples
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Steve Van Beek
