Wat Pho in Bangkok

In Bankok, Thailand, the Wat Pho temple houses one of the largest statues of the buddha in the world. There are two main devisions in buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana. Southern and Western followers of the buddha subcribe to Theravada buddhism. The statue at Wat Pho is represented accordingly.

Several things to note here: the statue is entirely coated in gold plating... and boy is it large! It's 46 meters long (that's about 138 feet) and 15 meters tall (45 feet). The buddha is in a "reclining" position, not "sleeping." Although most travel guides will tell you this represents the buddha's passing into nirvana, the locals have a different take on the buddha's pose. The reclining position indicates his entrance into a state of meditation: this is why the statue is known as the reclining buddha. If it had been named the sleeping buddha, it would be depicting his death. This full-length shot gives you an idea of the size. The feet are bare and the bottoms are laced with mother of pearl. As a sign of respect, a person standing before a statue of the buddha is not to point their feet directly at the monument. Feet are considered unclean in many eastern nations. In Thailand it is even disrespectful to show the bottom of your shoes to someone!