In front of you is Wat Traimit, and at the top of this white building sits one of the most astonishing statues in the world: a seated gold Buddha about three metres tall and weighing some five and a half tonnes.

1A plaster disguise

Its style, with an egg-shaped head, points to the Sukhothai art of the 13th or 14th century, although it may be somewhat later. At some point, probably before the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya in 1767, someone covered it with a thick layer of stucco, painted and inlaid with coloured glass. The disguise worked so well that people forgot what lay beneath.

2The accident of 1955

Under Rama III the statue reached Bangkok, still covered, and in 1935 it was moved to Wat Traimit, where it spent some twenty years under a simple tin roof. In 1955, while it was being moved to a new hall, the ropes snapped and the statue crashed to the ground. The impact knocked off some of the plaster and revealed the gleam of gold. When the rest was removed, it turned out to be made of interlocking sections, with a key in the base for taking it apart.

It's often said it was covered to save it from Burmese looting; that's the most reasonable explanation, but no document confirms it.

Since 2010 the statue has been in this pavilion, which also houses a centre on the history of Chinatown.

3What to look for

  • The golden spire topping the building.
  • The marble staircases climbing the terraces.
  • The Chinatown Gate, on the nearby roundabout, marking the start of Yaowarat.
The Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit seen from behind in its hall
The gold statue, weighing about five and a half tonnes, spent centuries hidden under stucco.

Documented

The gold statue, about 3 m tall and 5.5 tonnes, was found under its stucco in 1955 when it fell during a move; the present pavilion opened in 2010.

Oral tradition

That the stucco was applied to hide it from Burmese invaders is a widespread assumption with no document to confirm it.

Sources and credits

Wat Traimit Withayaram (temple information and Chinatown Heritage Centre); Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT); Thai Wikipedia, «พระพุทธมหาสุวรรณปฏิมากร».

Photos:

  • White marble pavilion of Wat Traimit, with staircases and a golden spire: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • The Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit seen from behind in its hall: Ovedc, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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