Wat Traimit

Walking around Yarowat, it's impossible to miss Wat Traimit's golden spires gleaming high above the surrounding buildings in the bright tropical sun. The temple, one of Bangkok's grandest, is a massive marble and gold structure that houses one of Thailand's most mysterious treasures.

The temple complex itself is new, built in 2010, but what's inside is much older. After the sack of Ayutthaya in the late 18th century, many religious artifacts were relocated to the new royal capital Krungthep (Bangkok). Among these was an unremarkable plaster Buddha statue that found a home at Wat Chotanaram near Chinatown. For nearly 200 years, this heavy plaster Buddha sat outside under a cheap  tin roof. It wasn't viewed as anything special outside of its religious significance.

By the early 20th century, Wat Chotanaram had fallen into disrepair, and the statue was relocated to another unimportant pagoda called Wat Traimit. In 1955 however, something unexpected was discovered. While building an addition to the temple, the statue had to be moved. During the move, it was dropped and hit the floor hard. The plaster cracked to reveal a solid gold Buddha inside.

The Golden Buddha

Nobody knows much about the history of the world's largest golden statue. It's been suggested that it was encased in plaster to protect it from the Burmese during attacks on Ayutthaya, but it seems as if the statue is much older. The features of the Buddha suggest an Indian influence, leading many scholars to believe that it was cast during the much older pre-Ayutthay Sukothai Dynasty (possibly around the 13th century).

Today, the Golden Buddha rests at the top of the new Wat Traimit building. The temple has quickly become one of Bangkok's most famous and important landmarks.

Monday's Buddha

There are other things inside the temple too, including a "Monday Buddha" (every day of the week not only correlates to a color in Thai culture, but also to a Buddha in a specific pose. My birthday was on a Monday, so my "lucky Buddha" is one with his right hand raised).

solid gold

Nobody comes to Wat Traimit for anything other than to see the Golden Buddha though. Nearly 10 feet tall and weighing over 6 tons, on today's market the gold in this solid statue is valued at over $250 million.

The discovery of the Golden Buddha occurred at the dawn of the 25th Buddhist Era (year 2500 on the Buddhist calendar) and is viewed by religious Thais as a miracle and a blessing from Buddha himself.