Buddhism is Thailand’s national religion, although you will find a significant number of Muslims, as well as a small number Christians in the country too. As well being respectful to The Monarchy in Thailand, it is also really important to be respectful towards followers of all religions, whatever they might be, whilst staying in the country.
If you happen to visit any religious buildings such as shrines or temples, then you will need to make sure that you are dressed appropriately. Items of clothes such as mini skirts, bikinis, sleeveless T-shirts or any item of clothing that might be considered unkempt or dirty will almost certainly not be permitted. If you do visit a temple wearing any of these types of clothes, you will probably be given a sarong or long sleeved shirt to wear in order to cover up. At some of the larger temples or at other important religious sites you could even be asked to leave the temple
altogether, if your clothing is deemed inappropriate.
Images of Buddha are also very important and sacred to Thai people and to followers of Buddhism throughout the world. This might sound obvious but never do anything derogatory towards an image of Buddha and you should also be careful about photographing them too. When visiting some temples, it might be the case that cameras are not permitted, whereas in others, it is OK to take pictures. If you are ever unsure about taking pictures in a temple, look for signs or ask someone before you start happily snapping away.
You should also be careful not to point your feet in the direction of an image of Buddha or to a Buddhist Monk as this is seen as being highly offensive and gross act of sacrilege. It is also not permitted for a monk to be touched by a woman and they are also not able to accept any items that might be given to them by a woman. If a woman does need to give a gift or goods to a monk, they need to give the item to a man who can then pass it onto the monk or they need to place the particular item on a special cloth in front of the monk. He will then drag the item towards himself, before collecting the item from the cloth.
If you happen to use public transport in Thailand, you should look out for the allocated seats, which are specifically for monks to sit down on and which are found on buses and trains. These seats will usually have a sign on them that will say ‘Reserved for Monks’ and if you see these types of seats, don’t sit on them.