Temple of the Reclining Buddha

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is a typically Thai temple with its sharp-eaved roofs and ceiling accents; inside it houses a 33m-long reclining Buddha draped in a gold-leafed saffron robe. The icon represents the Buddha’s attainment of nirvana and peaceful passage from this existence, although the claim that it’s the third-longest reclining Buddha in the world is dubious. The symbols on the Buddha’s feet represent the marks of a true Buddha (a title that means ‘enlightened one’ as opposed to a name). Also note the entrance and exit; the former is set off by a Naga, a Southeast Asian water dragon, while the latter is marked by a Chinese dragon, the East Asian equivalent of the same mythical animal – another example of two Asias on one island.