On Pratamnak Hill (also called Big Buddha Hill), in the very the center of Pattaya, there are several interesting cultural attractions. This wooded hill is small square and consists of two halves, as it were, cut in two expensive.
On the one hand, closer to the sea on the hill is a panoramic site with a temple, weather station and a monument, and on the other, far from the sea, you can see the Chinese temple and towering above the trees golden buddha statue which is located on the territory of buddhist Temple, at the very top of the hill. Here, on the hill, Pattaya looks quite different than below. This is no longer a “city of sin.” In the territory temples reign silence, peace and everything is saturated with harmony with nature and beauty. A real oasis of calm in the center of the city the jungle.
The content of the article
- 1 Chinese Temple Museum Wang Sam Sien
- 2 Wat Phra Yai Temple with Big Buddha Statue
- 3 Information to visit
- 4 How to get there
- 5 On the map
Contents
Chinese temple museum Wang Sam Sien
Everyone knows about the statue of Big Buddha on the hill in the center of Pattaya, but not everyone pays attention to the Chinese temple (and a little museum) Wang Sam Sien. It is located about a hundred meters before reaching temple with the Big Buddha, to the left of the road. Here you can see typical Chinese architectural elements and decor, feed the turtles and catfish in the pond, to strike the big bell for wish fulfillment, take a walk around the garden and have a snack in a small cafe for three table.
This is a functioning Taoist temple, where you can get to know culture and folklore of China. If you walk a bit forward from the entrance on the territory, you will see a large bell – a copy of the bell from Royal Palace in Beijing. It is customary to beat him with a big stick hanging nearby, pre-making a wish.
Just to the right of the entrance, on the pond, stands a large white statue of Guan. Yin is the goddess of mercy and kindness. Behind her in the pond swim giant catfish and turtles, which can also be for “good luck” feed dry food bags sold on the other side green pond, between the cafe and the toilet.
Wang Sam Sien temple can be called a museum in the sense that where neither will you turn, everywhere you can see symbols and figures important to Chinese culture, for example: a wall with 24 “gratitude stories” in the form of voluminous colorful reliefs behind glass, the statue of Confucius in Pavilion in the far part of the garden, planned according to all the rules Feng Shui, the figure of San Yud Sung, a Chinese public figure, and many bright plaster statues of warriors, various deities and mythical creatures. For example, there is a Dragon and Phoenix – Yin-Yang Simovol in Chinese mythology.
If you go from the entrance to the left, you can see the temple itself with smoking before him chopsticks in a large vat and guarded China’s traditional statues of lions.
Entrance to the temple is free, visitors are usually here. very little and you can safely walk around the pond, enjoying silence and looking at the many “exhibits” of this little open-air museum. From the tracks of the park through the trees opens view of the center of Pattaya, but it is not very impressive, from the statue Golden Buddha and from the observation deck on the next peak views much better. But the garden itself is very pretty here, with bright flowers, benches, stairs, avenues and two ponds. Great place to walk.
Pond with carp and turtles
Bell for the fulfillment of desires
Chinese temple museum Wang Sam Sien
Small park with a monument
Pavilion Confucius
Wat Phra Yai Temple with Big Buddha Statue
If you walk a little further to the top of the hill, you will first see parking for visitors, then numerous shops with sundries (mainly souvenirs and food) on both sides the roads and finally the ladder to the big golden sitting statue of Buddha.
Below the staircase on both sides is framed by rows of small bells, which can be beaten, making a wish, and on top of the railing along it are long wavy bodies of dragons, ending at the bottom a mouth from which serpent heads diverge like gigantic fans. The dragon scales glitter with gold in the sun, the Naga snakes open toothy mouth – the view is very impressive.
At the top of the stairs is a view of the huge statue of Buddha and a large area with many other statues. Also golden color but smaller. Seven of them, in front of a large statue, symbolize the days of the week – Monday, Tuesday – etc. If you wish, you can do offerings to a statue symbolizing the day of the week when you were born.
If you go further, behind the Big Buddha with a height of 15 meters will be even smaller statues, a bit more human height – thick a figure with a hole in the middle of the belly where you need to get a coin with several steps apart, and the statue is very thin, lying Buddha, many standing and seated Buddha statues, including in pavilions, and at the very end of the site, under the roof – stylized imprint of a gigantic foot, which is used to throw coins.
From the same view of the center of Pattaya with one side and Pratumnak area and the sea – on the other. But it cannot be said that he was very exciting and also partially blocked by trees. Still, the best view of the city can be seen only from the next the top of the hill where the main observation deck is located.
The history of the temple of Wat Phra Yai began in the 1940s, when Pattaya was just a small fishing village. But by the end 1970s, with the development of tourism, it has become a rapidly growing the city, and on the territory of the temple on the hill appeared a large white Buddha statue, as if guarding the city. Later it was updated and painted in golden color.
The Temple of the Big Buddha is acting, there are monks to whom you can come up for blessings, and you can also make offerings. Down below at the stairs and small outbuildings you can see people with birds in cages. They propose to issue them for money and do a good deed But now it has become more tourist attraction and earnings.
There are quite a few visitors here, often to the Big Buddha. groups of tourists are brought, and it is quite noisy. But still good weather here is nice to walk around, look at the city and numerous statues, photographed for memory.
Entrance to the temple grounds
Stairs to Buddha statues
Temple Wat Phra Yai with the statue of the Golden Buddha
The biggest figure of Buddha
View from the observation deck of the temple
Footprint buddha
Buddha statues in Wat Phra Yai temple
Pavilions with statues along the walkway around the temple
Buddha statues in closed pavilions
Information to visit
It should be remembered that both the Chinese Wang Sam Sien and the Buddhist Wat Phra Yai are temples, and on their territory stands out of respect for believers to be properly dressed, with closed shoulders and knees.
Entrance to both temples is free, if you wish, you can leave donation. The temples are open from dawn (7 am) until late evenings
Price of a sightseeing tour of Pattaya →
The observation deck is often included in a sightseeing tour of Pattaya. You can take to quickly see a few places in the city. It is usually about 300-500 baht, depending on what enters
How to get there
Getting to the Big Golden Buddha and the Chinese Temple of Wang Sam Sien can be walked along the road from the center of Pattaya and climbing the hill up the stairs, passing through the paths of the park from benches and sports equipment. It will not take five minutes, but quite feasible not even trained people. Even easier to climb a hill on a bike or a taxi, catch it is not difficult.
The hill separates the center of Pattaya and the district of Pratamnak, located on wide cape and rolling in the south in the Jomtien area. To climb to the Big Buddha, you need to move to the hill along the road past the residential Unixx complex to the police station on the left, and then climb along the stairs up the hill, through the park.
On the map
Life hacking 1 – how to buy a good insurance
Choosing insurance is now unrealistically difficult, therefore, to help everyone travelers, I make a rating. To do this, constantly monitor forums, I study insurance contracts and use insurance by myself.
Insurance Rating
Life hacking 2 – how to find a hotel 20% cheaper
First, choose a hotel on Booking. They have a good base offers, but the prices are NOT the best! The same hotel is often possible find 20% cheaper in other systems through the RoomGuru service.
Discount hotels
