Beside its historical significance,

Beside its historical significance, Wat Pho is also the site of a collection of knowledge in various disciplines.
That is uniquely Thai in flavor. The collection is an embodiment of Thai wisdom and heritage.
It came into being during the reign of King Rama III.
The King had sages and royal scholars and medical recipes, and he then had this wonderful information inscribed onto stone plates that ware put up as decorations around the buildings and structures of the temple.
The inscriptions continue to serve as a valuable source of knowledge for people from all over the globe, and from all walks of life.
Wat Pho is thus referred to as Thailand’s first open university.
In 2008, UNESCO included Wat Pho in its Asia/PacificMemory of the World Register , and the majority of the Wat Pho inscriptions were registered as Memory of the World in 2011.
The Wat Pho inscriptions form a comprehensive record of knowledge in the categories of history, religion, customs and tradition, literature, linguistics, medical science and proverbs.