Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Emerald Buddha
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Read Next
Blank canvas in an artist's studio. Art; oil paints; brushes; artists' tools
6 Contemporary Artists Who Redefined Their Mediums
American sculptor Vinnie Ream (1847-1914) and her bust of Abraham Lincoln on the stand used in the White House while President Lincoln posed for her. Photo taken between 1865 and 1870. Her full sized Lincoln See Asset: 182233
Woman-Made: 10 Sculptors You Might Not Know
Sculpture of woman before restoration (left) and after restoration on the exterior of an office building in Palencia, Spain. (art restoration)
5 Art Restorations Gone Wrong
Florence, Italy Statue of David by Michelangelo
How a Rejected Block of Marble Became the World’s Most Famous Statue
Discover
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Alice in Wonderland)
11 Banned Books Through Time
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha Buddha statues at Phra Mondop (the library), part of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha complex (Wat Phra Kaeo), Bangkok.

Emerald Buddha

sculpture
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Emerald-Buddha
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Emerald Buddha, statue of the Buddha carved of green jasper and dating from around the 15th century.

Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald BuddhaWalls surrounding the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo), Bangkok.

The Emerald Buddha was originally at a temple in the town of Chiang Rai (now in Northern Thailand) until 1436, when it was removed to Chiang Mai. It was kept there until Setthathirat I, king of Chiang Mai and Laos, moved the statue to his capital, Vientiane (now in Laos), in 1560. There he built a majestic temple to house it. When King Rama I (reigned over Siam [now Thailand] 1782–1809) captured the town of Vientiane, he returned the Emerald Buddha to Thailand. Rama I established Bangkok as his capital, and in 1784 the image was placed there in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

The Emerald Buddha has seasonal costumes, which are changed ceremonially three times a year.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Sheetz.