Wat Phuet Udom
This temple constructed in 1894 is located in Tambon Lam Sai, Amphoe Lam Luk Ka, 57 kms. on the Pathum Thani-Nong Chok route. This temple is known for the illustrative images of hell and heaven stages of beings and other mythical figures made according to the Buddhist belief.
Wat Chedi Hoi
This small monastery is located at Tambon Bo Ngoen, Amphoe Lat Lum Kaeo, 18 kms. from the town. A tremendous number of giant oyster shells, 8 million years of age, were unearthed and piled up into a form of a chedi. Each shell weighs at least 1 kilogram.
In the compound of the temple, a large number of gigantic fossilised oyster shells, aged millions of years were discovered. Luangpho Thongklueng, therefore, took the shells to build a chedi at the entrance of and in the temple. Furthermore, there is a museum collecting Buddha images, art objects, antiques, and many old utensils such as Sam Khok water jars, pottery, engraved wood, calculators, etc. Within the compound of the temple is a herbal garden, as well as, turtle and fish ponds for tourists to relax and feed the animals
Wat Chinwararam
This temple, originally called Wat Makham Tai, is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River slightly opposite the mouth of Khlong Rangsit Prayunsak in the vicinity of Amphoe Muang. The main interests are mural paintings depicting the story of "Phra Chao Sip Chat" or Lord Buddha's ten lives with poetic descriptions.
Wat Hong Pathummawat
This is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in the town. It was constructed by the reign of King Taksin. The chedi and vihara are replicas of the ones at Hongsawadi City. The fish sanctuary in front of the temple attracts many tourists during holidays.
Wat Bua Khwan
This temple in the vicinity of Amphoe Lat Lum Kaeo houses a Buddha image in the attitude of starving, which was cast in the reign of King Rama V. Another important attraction is the pavilion where King Rama VI presided over a ploughing ceremony, called "Sala Daeng" having a teak tile roofing which is regarded as exquisite
Wat Bot
Wat Bot is situated in Tambon Ban Klang on the east side of the Chao Phraya River. It can be visited by crossing Pathum Thani Bridge to the east side. Turn left at the crossroads and make a u-turn under the bridge to the temple on the opposite side of the road. Wat Bot was constructed in 1621 by the Mons who migrated from Pegu or Hongsawadi town. The name of the temple was from the village where the Mons had previously lived, similar to many other temples in Pathum Thani such as Wat Hong, Wat Bang Tanai, etc. People usually come to pay respect to the statues of three Buddha images in the ubosot and the cast statue of Luangpu Thian (Phrakhru Bowonthammakit), a senior monk who possesed high knowledge and tried to promote education among the Pathum Thani people. Moreover, there is an ancient wihan where an ancient Mon Buddha image, and Phra Saeng Ayasit – a sword of absolute power, reside, as well as many significant objects such as a four-headed elephant and a bronze miniature roofed throne to be put on top of a swan column and the lead sculpture of Ya-le (Jarlet), a dog of King Rama VI, which was granted to the abbot by the king when he visited Pathum Thani.
Wat Sing
Phraya This first Mon style temple of Pathum Thani is located on the west bank of the Chao River, 3 kms. from the township area. It houses Luang Pho To, an Ayutthaya style gold covered Buddha image in a rare mara posture and Luang Pho Phet, a reclining Buddha image . The monk's former quarters has been turned into a museum for Mon antiques along with a teak reproduction of a Lord Buddha footprint and a bedstead utilized by King Rama II during his visit to Sam Khok. The villagers living around the temple produce old style Mon bricks, famous products of Pathum Thani.
Wat Phai Lom
This temple is located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River in Amphoe Sam Khok. The Asian Openbills migrate from India to lay their eggs here from November to may. Other kinds of migratory birds include the Black-capped Kingfishers, the Spot-billed Pelicans and the black-headed Ibis.
Wat Chedi Thong
This temple is located on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River in the vicinity of Amphoe Sam Khok, 8 kms. from Pathum Thani Town. There is a Mon style pagoda approximately 160 years old and a white jade Buddha image enshrined in the ubosot.
Wat Song Phi Nong
at Song Phi Nong is located in Tambon Ban Ngio, on the bank of the Chao Phraya River above Wat Phai Lom. It was constructed in 1867. There are two sacred Buddha images residing on the bank of the river which are Luangpho Phet, a laterite Buddha image in the subduing Mara posture reflecting the U Thong art and Luangpho Phloi, a carved stone one, also presenting U Thong art. The latter was stolen. Therefore, it was rebuilt by the temple and has been respected among the boatmen and the public.
Wat Chankapho
at Chankapho is in Tambon Bang Toei, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, 6 kilometres from the city hall. It was constructed by the Mons during the reign of King Rama II and was called “Wat Kwo”, meaning “Chankapho” – Vatica diospyroides Sym. - which for the Mons is an auspicious tree similar to the golden shower. Inside the temple is a cultural hall collecting Mon objets d’art. There is also a project to preserve the fish species in front of the temple. Besides, the temple is an important ceremonial venue of the Pathum Thani locals such as “Ok Hoi Pachu”, Takhap Flag competition, a ceremony offering food to 100 monks, etc.
City Pillar Shrine
This is located in the compound of the City Hall. It was constructed in 1977 as a four gabled pavilion housing the city pillar and statues of the gods Narai and Vishnu. On one side is enshrined a Buddha image of the Sukhothai style in the attitude of Subduing Evil.
Wat Worani Thammakayaram
This monastery, better known as the Meditation Practice Center, is located in Tambon Khlong Sam, Amphoe Khlong Luang, 5 kms. from Phahonyothin Road. The temple occupies a pleasant and extensive area with a jungle atmosphere suitable for practicing meditation.
Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Humongous hypermodern temple home to the controversial Dhammakaya (Thammakai) cult/sect, dubbed the Thai version of the Church of Scientology. The size of the complex can hardly be overstated: crowds on special events can number in the hundreds of thousands, and the unreal scale of everything makes it appear like a science fiction movie set built by Albert Speer. As you enter, you'll first see the golden dome of the Memorial Hall of the sect's founder, Phramonkolthepmuni. Behind it lies the aircraft-hangar-sized Meditation Hall, and once you've walked through it (which takes a solid 15 minutes of hiking!) you'll spot the main event, the stupendous Maha Dhammakaya Cetiya. This is a golden UFO-shaped chedi covered with "one million" (in 300,000 outside and 700,000 inside) of golden Buddhas, in the center of a massive square and surrounded by the concrete platform of the Meditation Amphitheatre (scheduled for completion in 2006). There are free shuttle services from Victory Monument and Sanam Luang in Bangkok starting 7 AM on Sundays only; otherwise, find the elusive shuttle bus 1008 from Rangsit market, or just take a taxi from Future Park (80-100B one way). The temple is free to all and open daily, but devotees gather the first Sunday of each month and there are English-language meditation retreats several times a year. Dress decently (women must cover shoulders and legs) and try to pick a cloudy or cool day because there's a lot of walking to be done
.
21.4.09
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment