The Temple of the Emerald Buddha

This guide to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok follows the statue itself: a jasper Buddha found in 1434 when lightning cracked open a stucco tower in Chiang Rai. It traces how an elephant chosen to carry it south refused, twice, and how the statue passed through Chiang Mai, Vientiane, and a Siamese general's raid before reaching this temple in 1784. Along the way you'll meet the king who built the hall to house it. Listen for how the story turns a small stone image into a piece each kingdom fought to keep.