Casted sometimes in the 13th century, the Golden Buddha is today one of the most sublime example of Sukhothai statue style.
Traimitr Temple in Bangkok is located on Mittaphap Thai-China Road near the Royal Jubilee Gate (Odean Circle) and visitors can expect more than just another temple.
The four-stories marble-clad structure also housed the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Center on the second floor while the Traimitr Temple Museum is on the third and the Golden Buddha is located on the fourth floor.
Standing in the chapel on the top floor of the Traimitr Temple is the 15-feet tall, 83% pure gold statue weighs in at five and a half tons and entered the Guinness Book of World Record as the “most intrinsic valuable object” in 1991.
Traimitr Temple Museum
The Traimitr Temple Museum began with a small theatre space where visitors can watch the brief history about the temple, the different “poses” of Buddha and their history and references, and how the ancient 13th-century Golden Buddha came to be located here.
On the museum floor, there are also numerous samples outlining how craftsmen in the old days work on the Buddha statues.
This floor exhibits the history of the Golden Buddha image with a video presentation offering a brief background on Buddha images in general with the full story of the “subduing Mara” pose.
The Golden Buddha
The Golden Buddha or official title “Phra Puttha Maha Suwana Patimakon” is a seated Buddha statue in “Maravijaya Attitude” (or Mara Vichai pose) – an attitude or a pose of seated Buddha with one hand relaxed in his lap while another hand pointed towards the ground.
The gesture refers to the episode when Buddha was reaching enlightenment but was being disturbed by Maras (Devil and his minions in another, more familiar terms). Learning that Maras asked him to give up his quest, he reached out to touch the ground and called Phra Mae Thorani (the earth deity or Mother Earth) to help him fight the Maras.
Phra Mae Thorani called upon the water and flooded away from the Maras hence the episode results in the name Mara Vichai meaning the “Victory (vichai) over the Mara.”
The History of the Golden Buddha
It isn’t known when exactly the Buddha was constructed but this Buddha statue was, at one point, covered with layers of stucco and colored glass. It is understood that this was in an attempt to hide its true value within. It remained this way for almost 200 years until it was moved to a small pagoda. The covered plaster was chipped off during the relocation in 1995 and the golden Buddha underneath was revealed.
Made of approximately 83% pure gold weighing at a whopping 5 1/2 tons, the Golden Buddha is 15 feet tall and practically priceless. The Golden Buddha was cast in the 13th century. It was and is still an excellent example of the Sukhothai style Buddha statue that is still popular today.
Today the Golden Buddha sits in a chapel on top of a four stories marbled temple. You pretty much get 3-in-1 experience from visiting one location. It’s a seriously good start for the day.
Getting there
From Hua Lamphong MRT station, follow the Rama IV Road and take the Mittraphap Thai-China Road. Keep straight and you will find the Traimitr Temple on the right-hand side.
Entry tickets and hours of operation
You can purchase a 140 THB combined tickets for both the Yaowarat Heritage Center and Traimitr Temple Museum.
Hours of operation: Tuesdays to Sunday from 8 am – 5 pm, the museum is closed on Mondays.
