The Emerald Buddha ( , or , ) is an image of the meditating Gautama Buddha seated in a meditative posture, made of a semi-precious green stone (jasper or jade rather than emerald), clothed in gold, and about tall. The image is considered the sacred palladium of Thailand. It is housed in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The story is a mix of fact and fables with some variations to the story. According to the legend, the Emerald Buddha was created in 43 BCE by a sage named Nagasena in the city of Pataliputra (today's Patna), India. Nagasena allegedly had the help of the deities, Vishnu and Indra, 500 years after Buddha attained Nibbana. He was said to have predicted: Some art historians describe the Emerald Buddha as belonging to the Chiang Saen Style of the 15th century CE, which would mean that it is of Lan Na origin.
The legend reports that King Sam Fang Kaen of Lan Na wanted it in his capital of Chiang Mai, but the elephant carrying it insisted on three separate occasions on going instead to Lampang. This was taken as a divine sign, and the Emerald Buddha stayed in Lampang in a specially-built temple (now Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao) for the next 32 years. In 1468, it was moved to Chiang Mai by King Tilokaraj, where it was kept in a niche in a large stupa called Chedi Luang.
Presence in Laos in the 16th century
The Emerald Buddha remained in Chiang Mai until 1552, when it was taken to Luang Prabang, then the capital of the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang. Some years earlier, the crown prince of Lan Xang, Setthathirath, had been invited to occupy the vacant throne of Lan Na as his mother was the daughter of the king of Chiang Mai who had died without an heir. After the death of his father, King Photisarath, Setthathirath ascended the throne of Lan Xang. He returned from Lanna to secure his claim and brought the sacred image with him. This strategic move was intended to legitimize his sovereign authority over both the Lanna and Lan Xang kingdoms, effectively establishing the Emerald Buddha the supreme palladium of his unified realm. The Buddha image would stay in Vientiane for the next 214 years. which is erroneous as that lunar date falls on a Wednesday. A later Fine Arts Department publication corrects this to 5th waning moon, which corresponds to 28 February 1785. However, many sources report an incorrect date of 22 March 1784.
Temples of the Emerald Buddha: visual journey
<gallery mode="packed">
File:WatPhraKaew-CR-Ubosoth.jpg|The image first appeared in 1434 at Wat Phra Kaew, Chiang Rai
File:วัดพระแก้วดอนเต้าสุชาดาราม ลำปาง.jpg|From 1434 to 1468 it was housed at Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao, Lampang
File:Chedi_Luang_Chiang_Mai_(2019_Dec)_-_img_01.jpg|From 1468 to 1552 it was housed at Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai
File:Vat Phra Kèo.JPG|From 1552 to 1564 it was taken to Luang Prabang and from 1564 to 1779 it was housed at Haw Phra Kaew, Vientiane
File:วัดอรุณราชวรารามราชวรมหาวิหาร เขตบางกอกใหญ่ กรุงเทพมหานคร (63).jpg|From 1779 to 1785 it was housed near Wat Arun, Thonburi
File:พระอุโบสถเเละศาลาราย.jpg|Since 1785 it is housed at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok
</gallery>
Description
thumb|upright|right|A photograph of the Emerald Buddha without its decoration, taken in 1932.
The Buddha image is made of a semi-precious green stone, as "emerald" here refers to its colour rather than the stone. The image has not been analyzed to determine its exact composition or origin.
The figure is wide at the lap, and high.
The decorations are changed by the King of Thailand, or a senior member of the Thai royal family in his stead, in a ceremony held at the changing of the seasons in the first Waning of the fourth, eighth, and twelfth lunar months (around March, August, and November).
For each of the three seasons, there is a specific set decorations for the Emerald Buddha: