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The construction of the temple started when King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) moved capital from Thonburi to Bangkok in 1785. Unlike other temples it does not contain living quarters for monks, only the highly decorated holy buildings, statues and pagodas.

The main building is the central bot, which houses the Emerald Buddha. Even though it is small in size it is the most important icon for Thai people. The figurine is believed to originate in India, but it first surfaced in Thailand when in 1434 after lightning struck a temple in Chiang Rai and it showed up under stucco cover. It finally came to Bangkok when King Taksin fought with Laos and his general Chakri (the later King Rama I) brought it first to Thonburi, and in 1784 it was moved to its final location.

The wall surrounding the temple area - from the outside only a plain white wall - is painted with scenes from the Thai version of the RamayanaThe Ramayana ( Sanskrit: vehicle of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki (c. This epic of 24,000 verses tells of a Raghuvamsa prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the rakshasa, or demon, Ravana. The Ramayana had an impo mythology, the Ramakian. Several statues in the temple area resemble figures from this story, most notably the giants (yak), five-meter high statues. Also originating from the Ramayana are the monkey kings and giants which surround the golden chedis.

Also shown is a model of Angkor WatAngkor Wat is a temple complex in Angkor, Cambodia and is the work of Suryavarman II ( 1113- 1150 AD). It is the best preserved example of Khmer architecture, lying less than a mile to the south of the royal city. Wat is the Khmer word for temple. A moat, added by King NangklaoNangklao (Rama III) (full royal name Phra Nang Klao Chaoyuhua ( March 31, 1788 April 2, 1851) third of the Chakri dynasty, was king of Thailand from 1824 to 1851. He ordered the destruction of Vientiane in 1827- 1828. After his death his brother Mongkut b (Rama III), as the Khmer empire of CambodiaThe Kingdom of Cambodia (Kampuchea, Khmer ) is a country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered in the south by the Gulf of Thailand, in the west by Thailand, Laos in the north, and Vietnam in the east. The majority of Cambodians are the Khmer people. Cambodia and the Thais share cultural and religious roots.