Housed in a fantastically decorated bòht (chapel) and guarded by pairs of yaksha (mythical giants), the Emerald Buddha is the temple's primary attraction. It sits atop an elevated altar, barely visible amid the gilded decorations. The diminutive figure is always cloaked in royal robes, one for each season (hot, cool and rainy). In a solemn ceremony, the king (or in recent years, the crown prince) changes the garments at the beginning of each season. Recently restored Buddhist murals line the interior walls of the bòht, and the murals of the Ramakian (the Thai version of the Indian epic the Ramayana) line the inside walls of the temple compound. Originally painted during the reign of Rama I and also recently restored, the murals illustrate the epic in its entirety, beginning at the north gate and moving clockwise around the compound.
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