Third Largest Reclining Buddha @ Wat Hat Yai Nai, Thailand

Another morning, Lowe and I was finding our own way to Wat Hat Yai Nai which we agreed before our visit. This temple is more accessible compared with Stainless Steel Temple as it just located in the town area. We took a songthaew (local public transport) from Kim Yong Market passing through the bridge and stopped at the roadside which both sides also shop lots. The estimated ride is only about 5-8 minutes.

As we were not sure where should we stop, we kept asking the local Thai in songthaew about the exact location to disembark. It was confusing as one asking us to stop now and another asking us to stop next station. But again we chose to believe the first as she was just staying around that area. The temple is not visible from the main road. We need to walk into the day market behind the shop lot then only manage to find the Wat archway.

Upon entering, we saw a wat behind the closed gate. We thought we came to wrong place at first. Acted steady, we asked a local sitting there for direction and finally we found it.

From there, we walked a bit distance to the reclining Buddha.

Wat Hat Yai Nai Temple houses the Phra Phuttha Hattha Mongkhon, the 3rd largest reclining Buddha in the world, measuring 35 meters long, 15 meters tall and 10 meters wide.

On another side, there is a monk statue below an umbrella under the tree.

The board described the history of Praputthamahattamongkhol in 3 languages. Praputthamahattamongkhol was named by King Rama 9 (Bhumiphol) on 2 August 1976.

Besides the reclining Buddha, there is a small beautiful temple 

There is another small golden Buddha statue below it.

The Buddha feet 

The Buddha story engraved on the foundation stone. 

The corridor surrounding the reclining Buddha is quite dirty and full of birds droppings. That's the only complain I want to voice out.

Go to the back and inside the large reclining Buddha there is a mausoleum. Around the walls inside are hundreds of holes. Each of the holes contains the ash of a deceased person. Some have photos of the occupant and other details such as the date of birth and death.

Lowe and I did not go inside for a look but we just peeped from outside. The place is a bit creepy.

Someone wrote in the blog:

"Inside the mausoleum, there is a fortune-telling device. Inserting a coin (5 or 10 Baht) causes the wheel to spin round. When it stops spinning the pointer will stop on a number. On either side of the machine are numbered shelves with fortunes inside written on pieces of paper. Take one that corresponds to your number for a highly accurate summary of the rest of your life."

Would you dare to ask the fortune there perhaps from the spirit of deceased?

I'm not Buddhist but I always curious about the other people's beliefs and culture. The architecture design at the wat is unique with the wall carvings which I believe reflects their religion. We saw a deity on top and controlling the peacock.  In Hinduism, the peacock is associated with Saraswati, a deity representing benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge.

Wisdom is represented by the elephant in the form of the deity Ganesh, one of the most popular gods in the Hindu religion's pantheon. Sometimes known as Ganesha, this deity is very distinctive in having a human form with the head of an elephant.

From the engraved image, I was convinced that Wat Hat Yai Nai temple was influenced by Hinduism even though known as Buddhist temple. 

The ride to Wat Hat Yai Nai from Kim Yong market is only 10 baht. No entrance fee charged to this temple. This place is not big, we spent about an hour here. The large reclining Buddha indeed impressive. Whether this place is worth to visit or not, it is quite subjective. Next, I will share another destination in Hatyai. Stay tune!