Wednesday, June 29, 2016

The Silver Pagoda inside the Royal Compound

The extravagant Silver Pagoda, the floor of which is covered with five tons of gleaming silver, which has the fleur de lis of the French.  You can sneak a peek at some of the 5000 tiles near the entrance - most are covered to protect them. 
The staircase leading to the Silver Pagoda is made of Italian marble. Inside, the Emerald Buddha, said to be made of one piece of emerald sits on a gilt pedestal high atop the dais. In front of the dais stands a life-sized gold Buddha decorated with 9584 diamonds, the largest of which weighs 25 carats. Created in the palace workshops during 1906 and 1907, the gold Buddha weighs in at close to 200 lbs. Directly in front of it, in a Formica case, is a miniature silver-and-gold stupa containing a relic of Buddha brought from Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed to be taken inside - so here is just the outside.


No comments: