Wat Pho, or Wat Phra Chetupon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn as it official is called, is a 200-year-old royal monastery in Bangkok, just south of the Grand Palace that attracts visitors for various reasons: the temple is famous for its huge gold Reclining Buddha and its 20 acres of beautiful grounds containing over 1,000 more Buddha images.
Wat Pho is also renowned as the center for traditional Thai medicinal massage, but a recent accolade relating to both Wat Pho's cultural and medical significance is about to make Wat Pho, and Thai massage, even more famous internationally.
Inscriptions on marble around the walls of Wat Pho's ceremonial hall and nearby pavilions are all that was known about Thai massage dating from the reign of King Rama III. This art treasure has fascinated visitors who flock to the attraction both to see Wat Pho's historic beauty, and also to indulge in a superb Thai massage.
The famed inscriptions have been registered by the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Memory of the World (MOW) for Asia and the Pacific region. The letter of recognition was presented to Wat Pho's abbot, Phra Thampanyabodi, on March 31 this year.
Wat Pho also held a grand merit-making ceremony in honor of the King who commissioned the 1,360 inscriptions on marble plates in the 19th century. The plates show Thailand's religious and secular knowledge, ranging from Buddhist precepts and literary works, to traditional medicine and Thai "hermit" yoga postures.
Preeda Tangtrongchit, director of Wat Pho's Thai Traditional Medical and Massage, says UNESCO's recognition of the inscriptions will make Thai traditional massage better known. Thai traditional massage science is either a herbal massage or it follows the contorted hermit postures.
