• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangkok’s Wat Pho temple in Bangkok on April 4.

• The Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan, popularly known as Wat Pho, has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and is the country's earliest centre for public learning.

• Wat Pho is famous for its architecture and the massive 46-metre long statue of the Reclining Buddha.

• As a special gesture, Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra accompanied Modi to the shrine where he paid homage to the Reclining Buddha and offered ‘Sanghadana’ to senior Buddhists monks at the temple.

• PM Modi presented a replica of Ashokan Lion Capital to the shrine of Reclining Buddha and recalled the strong and vibrant civilisational ties that exist between India and Thailand.

• One of Thailand’s most revered spiritual landmarks, Wat Pho also symbolises country’s rich cultural and artistic heritage.

• Wat Pho was built in the 16th century as a monastery and was restored in 1788 by King Rama-I, who established Bangkok as the capital of Thailand.

• The temples that exist today were completed during the reign of King Rama III, who extended much of Wat Pho in 1832, particularly the South Vihara and the West Vihara, where the Reclining Buddha is housed.

• The Reclining Buddha statue was completed in 1848 and remains the largest in Bangkok.

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