Mongkol Worship and ceremonies

Early in the Bangkok period, the Emerald Buddha was removed from the temple and paraded in the streets to relieve the city and countryside of various calamities (such as plague and cholera). However, this practice was discontinued during Rama IV's reign as it was feared that the image could get damaged during the procession and also a practical line of thinking that Rama IV held "that diseases are caused by germs, not by evil spirits or the displeasure of the Buddha". The image also marks the changing of the seasons in Thailand, with the king presiding over the seasonal ceremonies.^[2]

Like many other Buddha statues in Thailand, the Emerald Buddha is dressed in a seasonal costume. It is a significant ritual held at this temple. In this ritual, dress of the deity is changed three times a year to correspond to the seasons. In summer it is a pointed crown of gold and jewels, and a set of jewelled ornaments that adorns the image from the shoulders to the ankles. In winter, a meshed dressing gown or drapery made of gold beads that covered from the neck down like a poncho is used. During the rainy months, a top-knot headdress studded with gold, enamel and sapphires; the gold attire in the rainy season is draped over the left shoulder of the deity, only with the right shoulder left bare while gold ornaments embellish the image up to the ankles. The astrological dates for the ritual ceremonies, at the changing of the seasons, followed are in the 1st waning moon of lunar months 4, 8 and 12 (around March, July and November). The costume change ritual is performed by the Thai king who is the highest master of ceremonies for all Buddhist rites. On each occasion, the king himself "cleans the image by wiping away any dust that has collected and changing the headdress of the image". Then a king's royal attendant climbs up and performs the elaborate ritual of changing garments of the image as the king is chanting prayers to the deity. On this occasion, the king sprinkles water over the monks and the faithful who have assembled to witness the unique ritual and seeks blessings of the deity for good fortune during the upcoming season. The two sets of clothing not in use at any given time are kept on display in the nearby Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations and Coins in the precincts of the Grand Palace. While Rama I initiated this ritual for the hot season and the rainy season, Rama III introduced the ritual for the winter season.^[2][4] The robes that the image adorns, represents that of monks and King's depending on the season, a clear indication of highlighting its symbolic role "as Buddha and the King", which role is also enjoined on the Thai King who formally dresses the Emerald Buddha image.^[14]

 A ceremony that is observed in the wat is the Chakri Day (begun on 6 April 1782), a national holiday to honour founding of the Chakri dynasty. On this day, the king attends the ceremony. The former king Rama IX, with his Queen, and entourage of the royal family, the Prime Minister, officials in the Ministry of Defence, and other government departments, first offered prayers at the Emerald Buddha temple. This was followed by visit to the pantheon to pay homage to the images of past Chakri rulers that are installed there.^[2]

The Coronation of the Thai monarch is an important event of the Chakri dynasty. One such event took place when Rama IX was crowned the king. On this occasion, the hing came to the Chapel Royal, Wat Phra Keo, in a procession wearing a "great crown". After entering the chapel, the king made offerings of gold and silver flowers to the deity and also lighted candles. He also paid homage to the images of Buddha that represented past kings of the dynasty. In the presence of assembled elite clergy of the kingdom, he took a formal vow of his religion and his commitment to defend the faith.^[2

Architecture Of Phara Mongkol

Wat Phra Kaew has a number of buildings in the precincts of the Grand Palace that covers a total area of over 94.5 hectares (234 acres). It has over 100 buildings with "200 years royal history and architectural experimentation" linked to it. The architectural style is named as Rattanakosin style (old Bangkok-style). The main temple of the Emerald Buddha is decorated and similar to the temple in ancient capital of Ayutthaya. The roof is embellished with polished orange and green tiles, the pillars are inlaid with mosaics and the pediments are made of marble, installed in the 18th century. The Emerald Buddha reposes on an elevated altar surrounded by large gilded decorations. While the upper part of this altar was part of the original construction, the base was added by King Rama III. Two images of the Buddha, that represent the first two kings of the Chakri dynasty, flank the main image. Over the years, the temple has retained its original design. Minor improvements have been made after its construction during Rama I's reign: temple woodwork was replaced by King Rama III and King Chulalongkorn; during King Mongkut's reign, the doors and windows and the copper plates on the floor were added; Rama III refurbished the wall painting (indicative of the universe according to Buddhist cosmology) and several frescos that display various stages of the Buddha's life; three chambers were added on the west side by King Mongkut; in the chamber known as Phra Kromanusorn at the north end, images of Buddha have been installed in honour of the kings of Ayutthaya Kingdom; and in the 19th century, Khrua In Khong, a famous painter, created the wall murals. The entry to the temple is from the third gate from the river pier.^{[2][4][9][10][11][12][13]}

The entrance is guarded by a pair of yakshis (mythical giants) – 5 metres (16 ft) high statues). The Buddha image in brilliant green colour is 66 centimetres (26 in) in height with a lap width of 48.3 centimetres (19.0 in). It is carved in a yogic position, known as Virasana, a meditation pose commonly seen in images in Thailand, South India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia). The pedestal on which the Emerald Buddha sits is decorated with Garuda (the mythical half-man, half-bird form, a steed of Rama, who holds his mortal enemy Naga the serpent in his legs). The image made with a circular base has a smooth top-knot that is finished with a "dulled point marking at the top of the image". A third eye made in gold is inset over the elevated eyebrows of the image. The image appears divine and composed, with the eyes cast downward. The image has a small nose, closed mouth, and elongated ears. The hands are placed on the lap with palms facing upwards.^[2][11][14]

External decorations of the ubosot, the main building of Wat Phra Kaew

The entire complex, including the temples, is bounded by a compound wall, one of the most prominent parts of the wat. It is about 2 kilometres (6,600 ft) in length. The compound walls are decorated with Thai murals, based on the Indian epic Ramayana. In the Thai language these murals are known to form the Ramakian, the Thai national epic that was written during the reign of Rama I. These stories formed the basis for the paintings made during the reign of King Rama I (1782–1809). These paintings are refurbished regularly. The murals, in 178 scenes starting from the north gate of the temple, illustrates the complete epic story of Ramayana sequentially, in a clockwise direction covering the entire compound wall. The murals serve to emphasise human values of honesty, faith, and devotion.^{[2][4][9][12]}

There are twelve salas, built by Rama I, around the temple. They house interesting artefacts of regions such as Cambodia and Java. One of these salas had an inscription of Ramkamhaeng that was moved, in 1924, to the National Library. During the reign of King Mongkut, the Phra Gandharara, a small chapel at the southwest corner, and a tall belfry