Reclining Buddha in Bangkok (November 6, 2025)
No, the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand is not the longest in the world. While it is one of the largest and most famous reclining Buddhas, with a length of 46 meters (151 feet), it is smaller than the reclining Buddha in the Shwethalyaung Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, which is about 66 meters (217 feet) long according to Uncle Google.
That is one large reclining Buddha! Largest one I’ve seen (so far)
The Reclining Buddha is a massive, gold-plated statue measuring 46 meters long and 15 meters high. It’s truly breathtaking to behold. On the one hand, it’s a sacred symbol in that it represents the Buddha's entry into Nirvana. On the other hand, it’s just a giant structural impossibility that’s staring you in the face. Most impressive.
The soles of the Buddha's feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl, depicting 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha. Again, according to Uncle Google, these are symbols of the Buddha's enlightenment, representing his perfection and the journey to nirvana. These signs include a variety of symbols, such as a central wheel (dharma) on each foot, flowers, dancers, white elephants, tigers, altar accessories, and symbols of fortune and cosmology. The 108 symbols are inlaid in mother-of-pearl and are grouped into categories like symbols of fortune, royal attributes, and parts of religious cosmology.
This, by itself would be enough, but the whole compound leading up to this main event was awe inspiring on its own.
But the best part, according to Violet at least, was the gong. Bang away (softly, of course) and please give a donation while you’re at it.
Violet’s favorite part about the whole experience … the gong!
Okay, Violet just corrected me. That was her second favorite part. Her favorite part were all the cats. There were So … MANY … CATS. And they were everywhere. Not just here in this buddhist temple, but everywhere we’ve been in Thailand … roaming free, well loved and well fed.
Which brings me to my next question. Violet, Elena and I love the hotel we’re staying in. But for the life of us, we can’t figure out why all the local cats are not gathered around the koi pond that is teeming with koi fish (who are extremely “active”).
Koi pond where we have breakfast in the morning … no cats? Really?
There is a cat about 5 feet away on a table staring at “something” in the tree. Whatever is in the tree (and I promise you, it’s not a bird) can in no way be more interesting than all the movement from the Koi pond. I share this because our first cat, Milo, would stare at our saltwater fish tank for HOURS watching the fish move around. While he was perfectly still, his tail would betray his interest with an occasional swish back and forth — he couldn’t help it. Apparently, that’s where all the interest was gathering until it overflowed and needed to get out.
But not here. Despite there being at least a half dozen or so cats as local residents at this hotel, I haven’t seen a single one pay a moments attention to the koi pond. Go figure. Their loss. I admire it each morning at breakfast and even right now as I type these words. A perfect place to write this blog post.
