Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, was constructed by King Rama I, the founder of the Chakri dynasty. It’s located within the complex of the Grand Palace, the official residence of the kings of Thailand (previously Siam) since 1782, which was built when King Rama named Bangkok as Siam’s new capital.
Since the Sukhothai period around eight centuries ago, it has been a tradition to construct a Buddhist temple within the grounds of a royal palace. The temple was modelled after Wat Phra Si Sanphet, the former temple at the old Royal Palace in Ayutthaya, which was destroyed in 1767. It is the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand – a country that has over 40,000 of them – although it is the only one not to have any living quarters for monks.