| The Emerald Buddha
In Bangkok, on the east bank of the Chao
Phraya River lies the Grand Palace and the Temple of The
Emerald Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew.
Wat Phra Kaew was the first permanent
structure built in Bangkok by King Rama I in 1782.
It was built to house the most celebrated
image in Thailand, the Emerald Buddha. It is regarded
by Thais as the most sacred of all Buddha images and is
believed to guarantee the independence and properity of the
nation.
It first appears in history when it was
discovered in Chiang Rai in 1436. Legend goes that it was
encased in a painted plaster outer covering which was
damaged in a storm, revealing the splendour inside.
Carved from a solid block of jadeite it
was seized by the Laos in the mid 16th century and taken to
Vientiane. During the campaigns of
King
Taksin in the late 18th century his generals brought
most of present day Laos under their command. General Chakri,
later to become Rama I, triumphantly returned the Emarald
Buddha to the then Thai capital at Thonburi on the west bank
of Bangkok.
Rama I had two robes made for the Emerald
Buddha, a golden diamond-studied tunic for the hot season
and a gilded robe flecked with blue for the rainy season.
Later Rama III added a robe of enamel-coated solid gold for
the cool season.
These robes are ceremoniously changed by
the King himself at the start of each season.
|
