The Royal Monastery on the palace grounds is one of the most venerated sites in all Thailand because it houses the Emerald Buddha. In the past it was common to cover valuable statues in plaster to hide their worth, but one monk in 1434 noticed a piece of plaster had chipped off this Buddha's nose revealing what he thought was emerald. It turned out to be jade - but the name stuck. No one is sure exactly how old it is.

The statue has been moved back and forth across the Lao-Thai border a few times over the years depending on who was ruling and where the border was. But it's been in Bangkok since 1778. Like Barbie and Ken, this Buddha comes with seasonal clothes - an outfit for winter, summer and one for the rainy season. The King himself presides over the changing of these outfits. One is not allowed to take pictures of the Emerald Buddha - I found this shot online.