Exotic beaches, streets lined with shops selling both mass-produced and countrymade artifacts, a land of gastronomic delights, for most people, these are the elements that define Thailand. The traveller in me, however, wanted to explore the road less taken. A tete-a-tete with an old Buddhist on the plane, resulted in me exploring the many temples or “Wats”, that Thailand is famous for. Most of the temple names the monk mentioned sounded Indian. By the end of the conversation, the temples of Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Mahathat, the old city of Ayutthaya, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua or the tiger temple featured on my to-do list. A bit of background research told me that Wat Phra Kaew was known as the temple of the emerald Buddha, Wat Pho housed the world’s largest statue of a reclining Buddha while Ayutthaya used to be the old capital of Thailand.
The first stop on our travel map was Wat Phra Kaew, located in the heart of Bangkok, inside the royal palace compound. Thailand, interestingly still has a monarch at the helm of the country’s governance. Sitting in a “tuktuk” (auto-rickshaw), which we had hired to get to our destination, we noticed that Bangkok has most of its roads named after Lord Rama, with Hindu traditions having blended into the predominantly Buddhist culture prevailing in the country.
Wat Phra Kaew is mesmerising, with its golden spires shining bright in the afternoon sun. Hundreds of devotees, from all over the world visit the temple to feel the presence of the divine. It is directly patronised by the Royal family of Thailand, thus adding to its splendour. The next two stops were Wat Pho and Wat Arun, also located in Bangkok. While Wat Pho surely takes one’s breath away by the sheer size of the reclining Buddha statue, Wat Arun, or the sun-temple is an unforgettable experience, taking one to dizzying heights. The sun temple is a must visit for young architects; the geometry of its build is stunning. A local historian who was also there, informed us that the temple also served as a signaling tower and message exchange centre in the olden days, somewhat like a modern day telegram office. The next day was reserved for Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand. Ayutthaya derives its name from Lord Rama’s mythical kingdom of Ayodhya; the Thai monarchy having been highly influenced by Indian culture in the past. Located around 80 kilometers from Bangkok, it is a UNESCO heritage site and used to be a centre of learning for Buddhist monks, much like the universities of Nalanda and Takshila. Ayutthaya is an extremely peaceful city, with its quiet roads, signs of an old civilization scattered around, Wats of various sizes, and the majestic Wat Mahathat. The people are extremely friendly, though communication can be a bit of a problem initially, for most do not speak English. The best time to visit this old city is early morning as in the wee hours, the monuments are doused in pale gold from the rising sun, a spectacle worth capturing.
The last stop was Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, or the Tiger temple. Located in the Kanchanburi district, this temple is home to almost 60 Asian tigers. One can even get close and personal with these big cats by paying a moderate entry fee into the petting area. It was quite an experience holding a full grown male tiger’s head on my lap. The late afternoon feeding session of these ‘pet’ tigers by the monks is also a wonderful sight.
As my journey came to an end, I had only one thought in mind‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’ as the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu had once said.