The Best Of Thailand | Travel in Thailand with Ashley

Thailand Tourism: The Phra Buddha Chinnarat at Wat Mahathat in Phitsanuloke is one of the top venered Buddha images in Thailand

The Phra Buddha Chinnarat image is one of the top venered Buddha images in Thailand. It is quite old - about 800 years and it is housed in Wat Mahatat which dates back to the 12th century.
To even find yourself on the temple-grounds is an overwhelming experience - especially so at time of sunrise or sunset when the gold-tiles on the roof and the gold on the Ayutthayan-style prang literally beams and glows in bright yellow!

Upon entering the building where the Buddha image is housed, you will be stunned by the incredible beauty of the real, original Buddha Chinnarat. I have seen the exact copy of this image in the "Marble Temple" in Bangkok and the effect the original image has on the viewer/visitor is amazing.

The temple interior is quite dark with no windows - however, the energy and glow from the Buddha image is so strong that you will feel like you are "bathed" in "divine light"....incredible.

I also recommend visiting the nearby Buddha image foundry (free - no admission) where one can see the age-old process of the "lost-wax" casting of Buddha images.

Best of Thailand: Wihara Phra Mongkhon Bophit located at Ayutthaya is one of the largest Buddha images in Thailand

Phra Mongkhon Bophit is one of the largest Buddha Images in Thailand. The attitude of the Buddha is one of  subduing. The image was probably built in the reign of King Chairacha in 1538 for Wat Chi Chieng. During the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767  Wihara Phra Mongkhon Bophit was set on  fire. The right arm and the knot of the Buddha image were broken.

Best in Thailand: Travel in Thailand with the best guidance on Thailand Tourism.

The Big Buddha in Phuket should be a must see on every visitor's itinerary

Once you are here pay your respects at the tented golden shrine, then step up to Big Buddha's glorious plateau when you can peer into Kata's perfect bay, glimpse the shimmering Karon strand and on the other side survey the serene Chalong harbour, where the channel islands look like pebbles.  Or if like me you arrived too late in the evening, enjoy the view of Phuket by night. 

The Big Buddha definitely has an energetic pulse. As soon as you glimpse him from afar, he'll begin to pull you in and once you finally managed to get there, you will want to stay for a while to enjoy the view, the tranquility, the wind and the rituals of the resident monks who you will see up and about the property in saffron robes. If you want you can check into the free retreat centre, live with the monks and meditate in the Big Buddha's holy shadow for as long as you like. The sound of bells which are tied to the trees (last photo below) is a great accompaniment to meditate too especially when the wind blows gently.

The Golden Buddha gets a temple that befits its stature

When you visit Bangkok and do a city orientation tour, this will usually begin or end at the Golden Buddha which is one of Bangkok's top 3 famous temples.  In the past the temple itself was nondescript but it housed a solid 5 1/2 ton pure gold Buddha. Now there is a brand new temple on the site that does justice to the solid gold Buddha. 

Back in 1957 a group of monks from a monastery had to relocate a clay Buddha from their temple to a new location. The monastery was to be relocated to make room for the development of a highway through Bangkok. When the crane began to lift the giant idol, the weight of it was so tremendous that it began to crack. What's more, rain began to fall. The head monk, who was concerned about damage to the sacred Buddha, decided to lower the statue back to the ground and cover it with a large canvas tarp to protect it from the rain.

Later that evening the head monk went to check on the Buddha. He shined his flashlight under the tarp to see if the Buddha was staying dry. As the light reached the crack, he noticed a little gleam shining back and thought it strange. As he took a closer look at this gleam of light, he wondered if there might be something underneath the clay. He went to fetch a chisel and hammer from the monastery and began to chip away at the clay. As he knocked off shards of clay, the little gleam grew brighter and bigger. Many hours of labor went by before the monk stood face to face with the extraordinary solid-gold Buddha.

Historians believe that several hundred years before the head monk's discovery, the Burmese army was about to invade Thailand (then called Siam). The Siamese monks realizing that their country would soon be attacked, covered their precious golden Buddha with an outer covering of clay in order to keep their treasure from being looted by the Burmese. Unfortunately, it appears that the Burmese slaughtered all the Siamese monks, and the well-kept secret of the golden Buddha remained intact until that fateful day in 1957.

 

New temple that houses the Golden Buddha on the 4th Floor. 

 A monk at Wat Traimit

Another profile of the Golden Buddha Temple

Solid gold Buddha in his chamber at the temple. 

Golden Buddha Bangkok

 

Phuket's Vegetarian festival began yesterday and goes until the 26th October

Thailand Phuket Vegetarian Festival, originally uploaded by Roger Arnold.

If you find the price of cucumbers up and are loosing your cool, then perhaps you need to make a trip to Thailand's hot tropical paradise Phuket and understand who's eating your cucumbers ! For details on the schedule check out this link..http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com/2009/10/phuket-vegetarian-festival-schedule.html

Big Buddha is Phuket's newest tourist attraction

If on past visits to Phuket you used to be offered a city tour which included Wat Chalong, on your next visit, you can check out the Big Buddha.  This is Phuket's next great pilgrimage site. Set on a hilltop just northwest of Chalong circle and visible from almost half of the island, Big Buddha enjoys the best view in Phuket.

 

Once you are here pay your respects at the tented golden shrine, then step up to Big Buddha's glorious plateau when you can peer into Kata's perfect bay, glimpse the shimmering Karon strand and on the other side survey the serene Chalong harbour, where the channel islands look like pebbles. 

The Big Buddha definitely has an energetic pulse. As soon as you glimpse him from afar, he'll begin to pull you in and once you finally managed to get there, you will want to stay for a while to enjoy the view, the tranquility, the wind and the rituals of the resident monks who you will see up and about the property in saffron robes. If you want you can check into the free retreat centre, live with the monks and meditate in the Big Buddha's holy shadow for as long as you like.