Images of the Buddha in Thailand

Buddha, perhaps more of a philosopher than a founder of a religion, is ever present in Thailand. The “awakened one’s” way of life still influences the people and culture of South East Asia and everywhere you travel in the “land of the smiles” Buddha seems to be there with you. A statue. A temple (Wat). He’s omnipresent and after a while it is more than comforting, it’s appreciated. You start to smile.

On my travels, I took many photos of the iconic figure, and below are a five of my favorite from Thailand.

Temple of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok

At Wat Pho in Bangkok, the gold plated 46 meter long reclining Buddha remains a top tourist attraction. It’s quite impressive. In Thailand, I learned each Buddha statue represents a different stages of his life and learnings. The reclining Buddha commemorates his passage to nirvana. It’s the end goal.

rest easy Buddha, it's Nirvana

The Head and Headless Buddha of  Ayutthaya

In the old capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya, the famous Buddah head in the tree photo is one everybody clicks. But a walk around the ancient ruins and any photographer will take more than just one. I even attempted to sketch the ruins in my journal (not shown).

captured in the roots of the tree - its Buddha

With the Thai often in conflict with the Burmese (Burma) many of the statues of the Buddah remain headless on the grounds of the city. Why? Well, it’s believed they were used for cannon balls. All is fair in love and war, right?

the headless Buddha... not very zen.

Ayutthaya makes for a perfect day trip from Bangkok.

stay adventurous, Craig

this post is part of the A Taste of Asia series.

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  • http://www.mytravelinglens.com my.

    Nice photos. Yes, I smile too when I see Buddha. I bought a Buddha head carved from a small tree trunk at a market in Cambodia. Must have weighed like 20lbs and ended up lugging it around in my suitcase that whole month of traveling. Well worth it because it’s sitting nicely in my living room now. Ommm … :-) — Michelle

    • http://www.stayadventurous.com Craig Zabransky

      Thanks. And it seems like you have a signature piece in your Buddha head. I often heard it is a challenge in certain customs to leave with such “artifacts.” Glad yours made it home and makes you smile. Ommmm indeed.

      stay adventurous, Craig

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  • http://www.livingif.com/ thinkCHUA @ LivingIF

    Great photos, we loved temple exploring in SE Asia to see all the Buddhas. When you get a chance head out to the zen temples of Japan for a contrast to the huge Buddhas of Thailand.

    • http://www.stayadventurous.com/ craig zabransky

      I definitely will head to Japan again, I really didn’t focus the Buddha their (mostly Shinto temples) but certainly will keep my eye out ext time. Thanks for the “heads” up, Stay Loving Contrast, Craig

  • Maria

    Stunning shots Craig, I just can’t seem to leave the page… too busy sitting in awe.

    • http://www.stayadventurous.com/ craig zabransky

      Too kind, it is certainly a stunning place (or places) and Buddha, well he stays still for photographs. Stay in awe, Craig

  • Jade Dsa

    Lovely! Visiting the Jade Buddha temple in Shanghai has always been on my bucketlist. Have you been there, Craig?

    • http://www.stayadventurous.com/ craig zabransky

      I haven’t yet, although i have been to Shanghai… I know the city changed so much since my visit, but I imagine Buddha is still where e was… stay jaded, hahaha. thanks for commenting, Craig

  • Australia Traveler

    Great! We were just talking about how we can fly from Australia to Thailand for holidays. It seems so close to us!

    • http://www.stayadventurous.com/ craig zabransky

      I certainly wish it was closer to me…. enjoy your travels, StaySmiling in Thailand, Craig