What's a Wat?

A Wat (Temple) is the Buddhist compound for religious functions. Ordination of monks, housing important relics, performing everyday ceremonies, holding festivals - all these happen in the wat. All villages have at least one temple; towns and cities have several. Bangkok has more than 500 temples. The purpose of many wats is to house an important Buddha relic, for which they build a chedi (relic chamber), a bell-shaped, golden or white structure. Like religious buildings of other cultures, the Buddhist temples of Thailand have a set of strictly enforced rules for correct dress code and behavior on the sacred grounds. Tank-tops, short-sleeved shirts, shorts, open-heeled sandals are considered improper wear; visitors dressed in such manner are prohibited from entering the wat; we actually saw guards turning some of the tourists away because of their dress. Most carried extra sarongs or shirts with them to throw on over their tank tops. It's funny they say you can't wear sandals because at all of the temples we visited, you had to remove your shoes, so it really doesn't matter what footwear one has. Temples that are frequented by tourists may have proper clothes and footwear for rent, but smaller temples may not. Women cannot touch monks. Do not sit cross-legged on the floor! Buddha and the monks may do it, but laypeople don't.