Budhist Lent day cccurs one day after the full-moon day of the eighth lunar month (Asarnha Bucha). Khao Pansa marks the beginning of the annual three-month Rains Retreat during which Buddhist monks customarily stay at a particular temple to study and meditate. The monks are not allowed to stay overnight at any other location during this period. And so we marked this holiday, which in the year 2007 falls on July 30th, by making a day trip to Ayutthaya for alm giving and making merits as good Buddhists should. Ayutthaya is a World Heritage site. For more information see http://www.cs.ait.ac.th/wutt/ayuth.html
We started at Wat Yai Chai Mongkol. Of course everyone had the same idea. The temple was especially crowded.
Once you get by the crowd, inside the temple was not bad.
A little Buddhist hitting the gong for good luck.
Wat Chai Mongkol is famous for its large reclining Buddha. http://www.anniebees.com/Asia/Asia25.htm
It is viewed as good luck to try to stick a coin to the feet of this Buddha statue.
Takes a little patience to press the coin long enough for it to stick. If you can't make it stick, you have no religious credits from your last reincarnation or has not made enough merits in this life! Go directly to square one, by-pass jail, and start over.
Everyone has a go at it. It all evenutally falls down. Gets collected by the temple, I reckon.
Now we get ready to climb to the top of the Chedi or Pagoda in the background.
The way up.
A steep climb, but not too many steps.
Ayutthaya is full of photo-ops. If you cannot make a beautiful picture, you are really photography challenged. This is the image of the Buddha on the left in the previous picture.
This is the one on the right.
At the top you can see bats clinging to the ceiling. The smell of bat guano was very strong.
Bats in the belfry.
Outside on top of the pagoda there are beautiful views from all sides.
The statues are in a straight row. The camera distorts the angle.
View on the way down with the 2 Buddha statues facing out.
Half way down... or up.
More Buddha images surround the pagoda.
Next we went to Wat Panan Choeng. click here for more information http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/7153/wpanonc1.htm. This Wat is supported by the Chinese Community and hence many of the signs and worship rites are more in the Chinese style. According to the sign outside, Wat Panan Choeng is an old monastery housing Thailand's largest ancient Buddha image known as "Luang Po To". A historical chronicle states that this gilded stucco image was made in A.D. 1344 some 26 years before the establishment of Auytthaya as the capital of the Thai Kingdon in A.D. 1350. Originally the Buddha image was exposed to the elements of nature in accordance with Thai tradition where no covering structure was made over a large staute so that the magnificence of the image could well be admired from any angle from any distance. Chinese followers revered the Buddha image as their "Sum Po Jud Kong" or the god protector of those who sail, since much of the sailing was done by the Chinese then, for trade
The inside was crowded with worshipers
lighting candles and incense.
In a Chinese temple 9 incense sticks are burned per worshiper. As opposed to 3 sticks in a Buddhist Temple. Much more eco-friendly.
Very little light except for the candles.
putting gold leaf on the statues.
and making monetary contribution to good causes.
Chao Mae or Goddess “Kuan-im” Goddess Kuan-im, or Bodhisat Kuan-im (meaning one who will become the Buddha), the saviour of Chinese people from suffering
In the main worship hall (Wiharn) there was a religious rite going on to make merits. The large statue is under renovation.
Back on the outside we bought a bag of rice for donation.
And pray to the god of of your day (of the week) of your birth.
After lunch we decided to visit Wat Mahatat ruin, a World Heritage site. Ayutthaya is full of ruins dating back to the days of Thai-burmese conflicts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayutthaya_kingdom.
Ayutthaya was razed by Burmese and rebuilt many times. Finally it was abandoned and the capital moved to Bangkok.
Many of the statues were either destroyed or later pillaged by thiefs cutting off the heads and sold for a few bahts and even less foreign currencies.
Similar architechture to Angkor Wat.
While some restoration has been done. It was only to preserve it from further deterioration.
Not a single head left. They are probably in some Western museums or private collections.
This is the famous head of Buddha in a Ficus tree. While in the vacinity, you are required to sit lower to view.
The roots of the tree is burried deep into the wall.
And with this view we went home much more religiously satisfied and more merits made.
