Emerald Buddha

The Emerald Buddha

• Nobody knows when or where it was made, the history was very mysterious like The Great Sphinx.
• The image was discovered in 1434 when lightning cracked it* at Chiang Rai temple, now known as Wat Phra Kaeo.
• It was covered in plaster until it started to flake off and revealed the jade underneath when it was discovered.
• King of Lanna send soldiers to bring it back to Chiang Mai when he heard this.
• The elephant sent to carry the image refuse to go back and they need to re-route to Lampang (by the way, Buddha image was believe to have power over their movement). 
• Later, another king got to 'convince' the image to go back to Chiang Mai where it was enshrined in Wat Chedi Luang. 
  
• But it is not long when in 1552, line of Lanna kings was interrupted and filled by the crown prince of Laos. 
• The image was later moved to Vientiane, new capital of Lao and stayed for more than 200 years. 
• Before General Chakri become King Rama I, he went on a punitive expedition to Lao in 1778 and conquered it.
• He brings back the image and built a temple to house it.
• Have various names in Thai such as Wat Phra Rattanasasadaram or Wat Phra Gaeo but only known as Emeral Buddha in English. 

*probably Thor, no, I'm just kidding