I saw the Emerald Buddha shining at the back of Wat Phra Kaew

Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew — Emerald Buddha sitting in Wat Phra Kaew

I moved on to the most crowded part of Wat Phra Kaew. Many tourists were stirring around the ornately decorated hall. This is the main hall of Wat Phra Kaew. I took off my shoes and went inside. The main hall was equally crowded inside and out.

In this main hall is the Emerald Buddha. This Buddha statue is, so to speak, the highlight of the tour of Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok. Through the throngs of tourists, I too turned my attention to the Buddha statue enshrined in the back of the hall. The statue was perched on a golden pedestal. In Thailand and Japan, Buddha statues are often large, as if large is a good thing, but the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew was much smaller than I had expected. The small green Buddha statue glared at visitors from atop a tall pedestal. It was literally like looking on from on high.

I thought the Emerald Buddha was small because it was made of emerald, a gemstone, but actually it is not. The Buddha statue itself is made of jade. It is said that it is called the Emerald Buddha because of its shining green color.

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