Solid Gold Statue @ Wat Traimit, Bangkok

Just when you thought i am done with my Bangkok trip, i am going to surprise you with another entry! Frankly, i may even touch on memorable Yunnan despite the three years lapse.

Coming back to this solid gold statue, i am inclined to talk about this because i did not manage to win the top prize in the S$10 million TOTO draw. To put it more bluntly, i spent S$100 but did not win a single cent. Mathematically, i made a book loss of S$100!

Blogging on this "world's biggest solid gold statue" will hopefully bring me some financial luck in the coming year. Though i know of its existence for a long time, my virgin visit to see this 5,500 kilograms effigy was only on my fourth trip to Bangkok last October.

Located on the top floor of this pagoda with a long spire, the statue has a very interesting history, especially its miraculous discovery. You may read more via the wikipedia page here.

The praying room is actually quite small and it can get crowded with devotees and tourists jostling to pray and take pictures respectively. Maybe because of this, my mind was not able to get into the Zen peacefulness normally associated with Buddhists abodes like Buddha Tooth Temple.

The true face of the three-meter tall golden Buddha! Just for information, the current gold price will put this at a delicious US$249.975 million dollars! Gosh, i sounded so blasphemic!

Whatever! We have not even included the historical value, which may push this to the priceless range - just like MasterCard! *rubbing hands with glee*

Please accept my sincere apology. I have erred badly as a Buddhist. From this moment, I will not crave for anything that this statue is made of. However, i shall not deny any money luck it can possibly give me, even if it's a golden fart from the back!

I digress. Mom was praying to the metallic statue and i could imagine her wishes; "more toto and 4D winnings, fantastic health for the family, happy working environment, young daughter can get married as soon as possible so that the house will no longer be a pigsty and so on and so forth...."

Entry is not free (not surprisingly in Thailand) but if you cannot even afford 40 baht (equivalent of roughly S$2); you can try to sneak in. I have seen a few visitors bypassing the ticket officers when busloads of tourists arrived at this famous attraction in Thailand.

Alternatively, treat the 40 baht as payment for complimentary bottles of mineral water placed freely in the temple. Unscrupulous business-minded individuals can even sell these for a quick profit outside the temple by labelling them as holy water!

Shameless to the max (if you ask me).

=====

Location

Very near to Chinatown! The famous Odeon Gate of Yaowarat Road (Chinatown) is noticeable in this picture taken from the pagoda in Wat Traimit Wittayaram (พระพุทธมหาสุวรรณปฏิมากร).

Get the city map from Suvarnabhumi Airport and you should be able to spot this Temple of the Golden Buddha somewhere in between Chinatown and Hualampong Railway Station.

Additional Information

Do pay a visit to the Yaowarat Heritage Centre at the lower level of the same building! My mom and i were so obsessed with shopping in Bangkok; we decided to forgo this for retail therapy instead in MBK!!