Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan is also known as the ‘Temple of the Reclining Buddha’ or simply Wat Pho, after its old name of Wat Photaram. The wat dates from the late 1600s but has undergone considerable expansion. In 1872 Rama I moved the Thai capital from Thonburi and relocated to the Grand Palace near Wat Pho. Rama III further developed the complex in the mid-1800s and made it a centre for Buddhist learning. 

Wat Pho still remains a centre for traditional medicine and Thai massage. The grounds are in immaculate condition as befits the wat’s status as
​one of the six first-class royal temples.