This provoked interest, and once revealed the jade figure achieved emerald status and accompanied the King when the capital moved south to Bangkok. It is still arguable where the figure originated. The pose is Sri Lankan, seated in the Lotus position with both hands open in his lap. The Thai buddha has one hand pointing down to the ground, to dispel evil. As for the face of the emerald buddha, this is orginal to the artist s idea of the Lord Buddha as with all images of him.
Some dispute persists.
The railway station, as always, was teeming with bustle and crowds. Families returning up country after an evident shopping trip at the metropolis, bulging cardboard boxes and crammed bags in tow. King Rama IX presides over this ant life, smiling benignly from a gold framed portrait in the centre of the fray. Then, the clock struck 6.00pm and suddenly, everyone stopped in their tracks, standing motionless and silent. From loudspeakers all around, a tinny whining music rolled across the station the national anthem.