Wat Phra Kaew: The Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Wat Phra Kaew

On a recent trip to Bangkok we journeyed a bit north to the Grand Palace to view Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand's holiest monument. It is not a working temple with monastery, as is common in Thailand. Rather, it is the repository for the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred talisman of Thai culture, as well as the burial site of the Rama Line of Kings. The current king of Thailand, King Vajiralongkorn, is the tenth of this line. It is also an important pigrimage site for Thai Buddhists. The temple enshrines Thailand's most highly revered Buddha image, the Emerald Buddha. The image is housed in the ubosot (ordination hall), a very ornate building constructed during the second half of the 18th century after King Rama I had established Bangkok as the new capital of Siam. The walls of the Rattanakosin style building are adorned with murals. To guide you through this monument, we have created two tours, a map-based tour with pop-up windows for the individual sites, and a 360 panoramic tour for computers, tablets and smartphones. It is also available as a VR app for use with a phone and VR headset. This is available below the tour.

Map-Based Tour of Wat Phra Kaew

Instructions: Click on either the numbered spots on the map, or on the numbered links below. In either option, a pop-up window will open. Simply hit the "Close" button at the bottom of the pop-up page and you will be returned to the map. If using the map, be sure your ad-blocker is disabled for this site. If you are using a tablet or smartphone, you may need to use the browser's "Back" button to return to this page.

1. Hermit Doctor	5. Ho Phra Monthiem Tham	9. Ho Phra Nak	13. 12 Salas
2. Phra Ubosot	6. Phra Mondop	10. Model of Angkor Wat	14. Emerald Buddha
3. Royal Pantheon	7. Wihan Yot	11. Phra Si Wattana Chedi
4. Prangs	8. Ramakien Gallery	12. Yakshis

Entrance:Phra UbosotSnap Content

Virtual Reality Tour for VR Headsets:

There is also a version of this tour designed specifically for VR headsets such as Google Cardboard, and it works with both iPhones and Android devices. It may be access by scanning on the QR code to the left. If you are viewing this site on a mobile phone, you may access the VR tour by following this link.

For iOS devices: scan QR code with your device's camera app, tap on the prompt to open Safari. Select "Allow Device Motion" and the next prompt, "Allow Access to Motion Orientation." Turn the device to landscape mode and a split screen will appear. When the screen turns white, swipe up for fullscreen mode, and place in headset. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]

For Android devices: Open the camera app and use the built-in scanner to scan the QR code above. Confirm that you want to open the website, and wait for it to load--it should load in stereo view. Select the fullscreen ("X" option) from the menu at the bottom. Turn the device to landscape mode and you are ready to go. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]