Tuesday 28 April 2009

Wats in Phuket

Phuket island is located in the tropical zone off the west coast of the southern part of Thailand in the Andaman Sea and is connected to Phang-nga province by Sarasin Bridge and Thep Krasattri Bridge. It is 862 km. away from Bangkok by road and one hour and 20 minutes by air.


Wat Chalong

This is Phuket's most beautiful and renowned temple. Located about 8 km. from town, the temple enshrines the gilt statues of monk-hero Luang Pho Chaem and his assistant Luang Pho Chuang, both much revered by local people because of their roles in quelling the miner rebellion in 1876.A recent addition to the temple is a 61.4-meter high chedi containing the Phra Borom Sareerikatat relic, a piece of the Lord Buddha's bones brought over from Sri Lanka. The Phra Mahathat Chedi is a mixture of southern, central and northeastern architectural styles and is the first in this region to house the holy Buddha's relic.


Wat Phra Nang Sang (Thep Krasattri Road)

This old temple, about 20 km. from town, is also an important temple of the province.The compound was once used as a Burmese military camp in 1785. Inside there are 3 historically valued bronze heads of Buddha images recently discovered, estimated to be over a thousand years old. The ubosot is where the three oldest and biggest tin Buddha images are enshrined. They are called the Three Kings and are positioned in between three other large statues.




Wat Phra Thong (Thep Krasattri Road)

For people in Thalang District, Wat Phra Thong is the most important Buddhist temple, enshrining a most revered Buddha image called "Phra Thong", meaning the Gold Buddha. The image is also called "Phra Phut" which means a Buddha image emerging from the ground. According to local legend, about 200 years ago the villagers found the image buried in the ground and tried to excavate it for enshrinement, but only the upper part could be uncovered. Later they built a temple over it and covered it with gilded stucco, and it has remained so ever since. Inside the temple area is a museum, whose collection of historical objects includes a raincoat worn by miners at the time when tin mining on the island was flourishing.The temple is located approximately 20 kilometers from Phuket City. Travel along Thepkrasattri Road, upon reaching the Thalang District Office, turn right and proceed directly to the temple.

Source- Thaiwaysmagazine

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