At one point in its history, the statue was covered with a layer of stucco and coloured glass to conceal its true value, and it remained in this condition for almost 200 years, ending up as what was then a pagoda of minor significance.
Given that Sukhothai art had Indian influences[1] and metal figures of the Buddha made in India used to be taken to various countries mostly during the Pala period.
[4] At the time, Wat Traimit was a pagoda of minor significance (like hundreds of other Buddhist temples that exist in Bangkok).
Since the temple didn't have a building big enough to house the statue, it was kept for 20 years under a simple tin roof.
When all the plaster was removed, it was found that the gold statue actually consisted of nine parts that fit smoothly together.
[3] On 14 February 2010, a large new building was inaugurated at the Wat Traimit Temple to house the Gold Buddha.
The line of the hairdressing forms a "V" shape in the root of the hairs, underlined by the elegant curve of the eyebrows that join above the aquiline nose, all according to the prescribed rules.
The three wrinkles in the neck and the much elongated ear lobes, signs of his former status of prince, also form part of the code, as do the wide shoulders and the chest inflated.