Our Thai temple guardian lions were hand cast in bronze by artists in the Chiang Mai region of northern Thailand. The largest lions in our on line shop are 40" inches tall, and nearly life sized.

The emerald Buddha seen in its cold season robes. The King of Thailand changes the emerald Buddha's robes three times each year.

The emerald Buddha is actually made of green jasper, a variety of jade, and is only about 65 centimeters tall. Surrounded with a glass case, it rests on a multi-tiered gold pedestal within the ornate temple, and is an object of Buddhist devotion.

      The Emerald Buddha has an fascinating history. According to monks at the temple, in 1434 AD lightning struck a chedi in Chiengrai (in northern Thailand). The structure broke open revealing a stucco Buddha image concealed inside. It was taken to the local monastery, where the abbot noticed it was a bit chipped on the nose, and decided to clean the statue. He chipped off the plaster, and revealed the beautiful emerald Buddha beneath it. In 1782 AD King Rama I (who ruled from 1782-1809) chose the city of Bangkok, known then as as Ratanakosin, as his capital. He had the Temple of the Emerald Buddha built to the east of his royal palace to house the emerald Buddha, which was discovered in the city of Vientiane, in Laos. The temple took two years to build, and the emerald Buddha was moved there in 1784.

Twelve lions stand guard at the entrances to the Wat Phra Kaew temple. The guardian lions at the temple were made with Thai designs on their chest plates in the style of Khmer stone lions. The design is a Thai variation of a style of stone lion brought from Laos or Cambodia, famous for its sprawling temples, when the temple was built during the reign of King Rama I. These stone lions, though extensively restored, can still be seen at the temple. A French expert on Khmer art, Boisselier, examined the bronze lions which guard an East entrance to the ubosoth, used only by the Thai Chief of State, and concluded, based in part upon an examination of the design on the chest of the lions, that the chest design is Thai, rather than Khmer.

13" Bronze Temple Lion

       Through an arrangement with a foundry in Thailand, we are able to offer bronze castings of temple guardian bronze lions to our customers. All our pictured lions are in stock at our USA warehouse, and many other Eastern and Western styles are available by special order. We can offer good prices because we import dozens of lions at once.

       A special ceremony was performed by monks from the temple before these lions could be cast, to bless them and the artists who cast them. Click any lion to see larger, more detailed pictures. All bronze lions are available for sale individually, or as matching pairs. Many sizes of the Thai lions are in stock.

- M. Gagliano (Owner of ESTATELIONS)