"The wonderer and his Shadow!"
Phra Maha Suwanpatimagorn or Sukhothai Trimitr is the largest Golden buddha Image in the world. It is made of pure gold, it weighs approximately 5 tons and it is 3.4 meters in hight. It is a Buddha image in the mara conquering pose, the typical artistic style of the days when Sukhothai (13th century) was the capital of Thailand though it could have been made after that time. The statue was housed in a wat in Ayutthaya until mid 19th century, and its provenance from Ayutthaya excludes the possibility of it having been made after about 1750. (Wikipedia)
Originally, this golden Buddha image was completely covered with plaster to conceal it from the enemy then invading Thailand and was installed as the principal Buddha image in the main temple building of Choti-naram Temple or Wat Phrayakrai, Yannawa District, Bangkok in the third reign of the Chakkri Dynasty in the Ratanakosin era. Later, Phraya Chodeukrajasetthi, King Rama III’s trade commissioner, had this temple renovated in honor or the King. The temple thus came under the royal sponsorship and was made a royal monastery under new little of Wat Chotanaram. During the reigns of King Rama IV and V, this temple was left uncared for, causing all the buildings on the temple ground including the ordination hall to fall into a ruinous state.
During this time, the East Asiatic co.,Ltd. applied of permission from the authority to rent the monastery estate for business purposes. Once the permission was granted, the company directed the demolition of all ruinous buildings, except for the ordination hall where a plastered buddha image and a bronze one, of the same size, were located. The plastered Buddha image had been kept there for twenty years before the plaster coating chipped off, revealing the gold surface underneath on May 25, 1955 the time very close to the commemoration of the twenty-fifth Buddhist Era.
It is one of major Buddha images in Thailand and also the first golden Buddha statue to be recorded in the Guiness book of World Records as an invaluable object of worship seated at Wat Trimitrwittayaram, Bangkok, Thailand, and it was assessed approximately at USD 45.5 millions.
Wat (temple) Trimitrwittayaram is open from 8.00 am. to 5.00 pm. daily to those who are interested in seeing this gold Buddha image!
The ticket price is Baht 100 for expat included Old China Town museum located on the second floor of the temple. The Golden Buddha is located on the third floor!
Originally, this golden Buddha image was completely covered with plaster to conceal it from the enemy then invading Thailand and was installed as the principal Buddha image in the main temple building of Choti-naram Temple or Wat Phrayakrai, Yannawa District, Bangkok in the third reign of the Chakkri Dynasty in the Ratanakosin era. Later, Phraya Chodeukrajasetthi, King Rama III’s trade commissioner, had this temple renovated in honor or the King. The temple thus came under the royal sponsorship and was made a royal monastery under new little of Wat Chotanaram. During the reigns of King Rama IV and V, this temple was left uncared for, causing all the buildings on the temple ground including the ordination hall to fall into a ruinous state.
During this time, the East Asiatic co.,Ltd. applied of permission from the authority to rent the monastery estate for business purposes. Once the permission was granted, the company directed the demolition of all ruinous buildings, except for the ordination hall where a plastered buddha image and a bronze one, of the same size, were located. The plastered Buddha image had been kept there for twenty years before the plaster coating chipped off, revealing the gold surface underneath on May 25, 1955 the time very close to the commemoration of the twenty-fifth Buddhist Era.
It is one of major Buddha images in Thailand and also the first golden Buddha statue to be recorded in the Guiness book of World Records as an invaluable object of worship seated at Wat Trimitrwittayaram, Bangkok, Thailand, and it was assessed approximately at USD 45.5 millions.
Wat (temple) Trimitrwittayaram is open from 8.00 am. to 5.00 pm. daily to those who are interested in seeing this gold Buddha image!
The ticket price is Baht 100 for expat included Old China Town museum located on the second floor of the temple. The Golden Buddha is located on the third floor!
