The rise is only being applied to foreign adults as Thai nationals together with children of any nationality, and less than 120 centimetres tall, garner free admission. The Thai government has a long-standing policy of not charging its citizens any admission charges when they visit religious sites.
The Reclining Buddha Temple is known to Thais as Wat Pho. It takes its English-language name from the gargantuan Buddha statue in one of its chapels. The statue is more than 40 metres long and 15 metres high. The statue has a gold head which lies on boxes inlaid with fetching mosaics made out of coloured glass.
Wat Pho is next to the Grand Palace and most visitors and tour groups combine the two into one day’s sightseeing. Wat Pho is also noted for its massage school and has seen thousands upon thousands of students of the healing technique pass through its doors over the past five decades.
Reclining Buddha Temple to raise entry fees
News in Asia
Officials at the Reclining Buddha Temple in Bangkok have announced that entry fees for foreign tourists are set to double in the new year. The website at one of the Thai capital’s most famous visitor draws already carries a warning saying admission for foreign adults will rise from THB100 to THB200 with effect from 1 January.