Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan

Yes, you did read that name correctly and no, a chimpanzee hasn't taken over the writing of my blog. Although sometimes it may seem like it!!!

Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan, is actually a Buddhist temple in the province of Chachoengsao, about 80km east of Bangkok and a 1 hour 30 minute drive from my home town of Banglamung near Pattaya.

It houses one of the most revered Buddha images in Thailand known as "Luang Por Sothon" which means the "venerable father of Sothon".

There is a interesting story surrounding how the statue of Luang Por Sothon came to be at Wat Sothon.

Legend has it that 3 Buddha images were found floating along the Chao Phraya River towards the Bang Pakong River, where local villagers tried in vain, to tie the statues together and bring them ashore.

The statues continued on their watery journey until fortune smiled upon the inhabitants of Ban Leam who were able to retrieve one of them. The second statue was rescued at the town of Bang Phlee and the final statue was brought ashore at Sothon and taken to the local templ,e where it has remained to this day.

One of the highlights of Wat Sothon is its spectacular "ubosoth" or ordination hall which is 84 metres high and crowned with golden umbrellas. The hall took 15 years to build and was opened to the public in 2004.

The building is very striking, not just because of the sheer size, but also due to its decorative style. The exterior is pale grey and gold which is in stark contrast to most other Thai temples.
The interior is unqiue mixture of contemporary and traditional styles. The floor is covered with marble from Carrara in Italy and features images of animals and mythical creatures carrying lotus stalks.









There is a secondary building on site where visitors can pray and make offerings. It is common for people who have experienced good fortune after praying at the temple, to return and bring gifts of eggs to offer their thanks. The prayer hall has a number of Buddha images and other relics which vistors rub with gold leaf as a mark of honour and respect





I always urge people who visit temples in Thailand to dress and act respectfully. I amazes me the number of people who I have seen entering places of worship here in Thailand dressed in beach wear or other inappropriate attire. I can cause great offence if you show too much flesh when you visit a temple!!!!

Comments

Joy said…
A very nice overview of Wat Sothon Wararam in Cha Choengsao, Thailand! I didn't realize how the Sothon Buddha came to be there... We have 2 blessed amulets from that temple here - Wat Sothorn items bmedj and bmedg. They are extra lovely!

We'll be traveling to Cha Choengsao to visit this temple within the next 4 weeks. Do you live close by?
August 8, 2012 at 2:02 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What the fuk?

Image
Before you start writing any letters of complaint or offering to wash my mouth out with soap.....a fuk, is actually a type of vegetable here in Thailand!!!! In Thai script it is written ฟัก and when pronounced, it sounds just like the English swear word. So, as you can imagine, I have had hours of fun with this in Thailand!!!! But, what on earth is a fuk, I hear you cry? It's known as a "winter melon" or "white gourd" in English and is common throughout South East Asia. For those of you, like me, who are botanically challenged, the winter melon is in the same family as honeydew melons. However, unlike the honeydew melon its flesh is not as sweet. It has a very mild flavor and is often used in soups, although I enjoy eating it when it's stir fried with chillis. They are well known for their detoxifying properties and can also be used to make vegetable juice drinks. I have also heard that it is used in China to make tea. Here are some examples of dishes made w...
Read more

Thai Logic

The theme of todays post is "Thai logic"....... But for those of you that have visited the Kingdom this may seem like a contradiction in terms, because the chances are, you have been in situations where there seems to be a lack of "logic" applied. You may think I'm being anti-Thai or trying to create an unfair cultural stereotype but this is not the case at all..... My current girlfriend is Thai as was my ex-girlfriend and I have nothing but good things to say about the majority of Thai people that I have encountered across all walks of life. I believe that the Thai's are the warmest and friendliest people you are ever likely to meet anywhere in the world....however, many lack, what we in the West would call, "common sense". Or as the late grandma Penfold might have said "some of them are as green as cabbage looking". My favourite example is when I checked into a small Bangkok hotel in Soi 4 Sukhumvit and was told the shower in my room wa...
Read more

Book Review: Good Medicine for Thailand Fever

Image
Given that my last book review was so well received by my readers, I thought I would have another crack at this type of post. The book that I have chosen to comment upon is entitled "Good Medicine for Thailand Fever". When I first picked up this book with it's unusual title and garish yellow cover, I must admit that I was intrigued and as soon as I'd read the first few pages, I was hooked. A lot of books which deal wth the topic of Thai-Western relationships, are written by Westerners, for Westerners and tend to be full of hubris and pathos, focusing on how gullible farangs lose their hearts and life savings to devious bar girls. "Good Medicine for Thailand Fever" is a refreshing change from this staid format and far from being a skewed, one-dimensional and one-sided portrait of Thai-Western relationships, the book is bilingual guide, dealing with all aspects of cross-cultural relationships and offering advice and help to both parties. Written by an Amercian...
Read more