Thailand is a deeply Buddhist nation, with the vast majority of Thais identifying, if not fully practicing, as Buddhist. A brief little look at the history of Buddhism in Thailand:

Modern-day Thai Buddhism is facing some of the same tensions that other religions are face. It’s very interesting to contrast these two reports:

As for the temples themselves, in addition to their religious and cultural importance, Thai Buddhist architecture is gorgeous. There are thousands on thousands of temples across the country, from the very small the very grand.

A less-traditional but totally jaw-dropping temple, Wat Rong Khun, all in white – I really like the sly use of gold for the bathrooms.

And even less traditional than that is Wat Samphran: