The Reclining Buddha

This guide to the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok starts with a loss: the burning of Ayutthaya and the medical, astronomical and healing knowledge that went with it. It follows King Rama III's answer in the 1830s, turning the temple into a public university with its teachings carved directly into the walls so no fire could destroy them again, and the vast gilded statue he built to anchor it. Along the corridor, 108 bronze bowls line the wall, and monks still drop coins into them one by one. Walk that full length before you leave the hall.