The Buddha image itself is striking, but Wat Pho Chai’s elaborate and colorful wall murals distract most visitors.
In great detail, the designs depict Siam’s cross-river invasion of Laos, and the legend of the tree captured Buddha images.
The panels also depict scenes from more recent times, including several showing King Bhumibol (Thailand’s current king) visiting the temple.
After seeing so many beautiful yet typical temple wall murals depicting traditional Hindu-Buddhist imagery, it’s a nice to change of pace to see temple murals that depict pick-up trucks and modern Thai kids shooting water guns on Songkran.