A gold Buddha statue weighing about 5.5 tonnes at Wat Traimit in Bangkok, hidden for a long time under a plain coating of stucco.
Interesting facts
- Weighs around 5.5 tonnes and is about 3 metres tall
- Sukhothai style, 13th/14th century
- Hidden under stucco for a long time, recognised as gold in 1955
- According to Guinness World Records, the religious object with the highest intrinsic value
Why visit
- One of the largest gold statues in the world
- The unusual story of its rediscovery
- Easy to combine with a visit to Bangkok's Chinatown
At Wat Traimit in Bangkok’s Samphanthawong district, on the edge of Chinatown and not far from Hua Lamphong station, sits one of the most valuable Buddha images in the world: the Golden Buddha, officially Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon. The statue is about three metres tall and weighs around 5.5 tonnes. It shows the Buddha in the earth-touching gesture, with which he calls the earth to witness his enlightenment.
Where the figure comes from is not firmly documented. Its style matches Sukhothai art of the 13th and 14th centuries, but it may also have been made later. At some point the gold was hidden under a thick layer of stucco and pieces of coloured glass, probably to protect it from looters. In this inconspicuous form it came to Bangkok and, in 1935, to Wat Traimit, at the time a minor temple.
Only in 1955, when the statue was to be moved into a new building, did a piece of the coating break off to reveal gold underneath. It later turned out that the figure can be taken apart into several sections. Today it stands on the top floor of a purpose-built hall on the temple grounds; the floors below hold exhibitions about the statue and the neighbourhood. Remains of the old stucco shell are on display at the temple.
History
Sukhothai style (13th/14th century), date of creation not firmly established. Covered with stucco at an unknown time, probably to protect it from theft. Brought to Wat Traimit in 1935 and recognised as a gold statue in 1955 while being moved into a new building. Now housed in a multi-storey hall on the temple grounds.
Special features
Seated gold Buddha figure in the earth-touching gesture, about 3 metres tall and around 5.5 tonnes, made of several sections that can be taken apart. Exhibitions about the statue and the neighbourhood in the same building; remains of the stucco shell are on display.
Map
Opens an external route planner. Please check access and opening times before you set off.
Sources
Image: Shivashanky · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Last reviewed: November 5, 2026