HOME

  CONTACTS     LINKS 

In all Buddhist country of south East Asia

temples pagodas wat monasteries Thailand

are plenty. In Thailand they are called Wat  e.g. Wat Chalong is one of the most popular in Phuket (just 2 minutes drive north of the Chalong circle).

The Chalong Temple ( Wat Chalong) is one of the most venerated in Southern Thailand and in particular in Phuket. Everyday people come from several hours drive radius to the Wat to pray and hope for good luck afterwards. They bang fireworks into the brick "oven" to get the attention of the ghosts. Interestingly the most of the prayer are to get a win in the lottery. Some sculptures of the former abbots are in a very beautiful adjacent teak building with rich carvings, especially the doors, many come to pray in front of the sculptures.

Pagoda or Stupas are solid structures, the layout is usually a square or five sided.

Enshrined are sacred relics or a particular potent image or figure of the Buddha, scriptures and / or precious items.

The structure is terraced, three or five times, with a bell shaped top.

The terraces indicate the slopes of the cosmic mountain Mt. Meru, the abode of Hindu gods. The stupa is a symbol of the Buddha and naturally functions as a protective structure for the relicts.

Temples pagodas wat monasteries Thailand are usually buildings of very good quality.

The Temple layout has its origins in the caves used by Buddhist of the very early days in India.

The hollow structure allows the visitor to enter. With the time and the emergence of different building techniques the layout grew more sophisticated spreading out into chambers and passageways.