Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan or Wat Pho is also known as The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is a Buddhist temple in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand, located in the Rattanakosin district directly adjacent to the Grand Palace. Its official full name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn. The temple is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage.
Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions.During the Rama III restoration, plaques inscribed with medical texts were placed around the temple. These received recognition in the Memory of the World Programme on 21 February 2008, according to Thailand's Government Public Relations Department. The temple was created as a restoration of an earlier temple on the same site, Wat Phodharam, with the work beginning in 1788. The temple was restored and extended in the reign of King Rama III, and was restored again in 1982. In 1962 a school for traditional medicine and massage was established.
