Wat Pho: Beyond the Reclining Buddha

While most visitors flock to Wat Pho in Bangkok primarily to marvel at the immense, gold-plated Reclining Buddha, the temple holds centuries of history often overlooked.

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We studied how visitors behaved while touring Wat Pho and noticed that, in many cases, some behaved inappropriately.

To help visitors delve deeper, two architecture academics have created and are expanding an application called Insight Wat Pho. This app offers a new way to explore central Bangkok's oldest temple, moving beyond the typical walking tour experience.

The inspiration for the app stemmed from observing visitor behavior during temple visits. "We studied how visitors behaved while touring Wat Pho and noticed that, in many cases, some behaved inappropriately," said Asst Prof Dr Wilasinee Darnthamrongkul of Chulalongkorn University. She noted that some visitors showed disrespect or climbed on historic structures, potentially damaging valuable artifacts.

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Such actions can damage valuable historic monuments and artefacts.

Dr. Wilasinee acknowledged that such actions might stem from a lack of understanding regarding the site's significance. "This became the starting point for encouraging heritage education." The Insight Wat Pho app, available in Thai and English, features sections like 'Plan Your Visit,' 'Visitor Map,' 'Wat Pho in History,' and 'Explore.' The developers opted for a smartphone app to provide engaging educational content without cluttering the temple grounds with additional signs.

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This became the starting point for encouraging heritage education.

"The first reason is that we see Wat Pho as much more than a tourist attraction," said Dr. Spavit Darnthamrongkul. "It is both an important historic monument and one of Thailand's significant religious sites." The temple, considered the kingdom's first open university since the reign of King Rama III, preserves a vast body of knowledge in history, architecture, fine arts, literature, and traditional medicine.

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At Wat Pho, we often see people are packed around the chapel that houses the Reclining Buddha. They enter the building, walk around the statue and go back. But Wat Pho has much more than that.