Wat Paa Sang Tham in Phangan - a new Buddhist temple
Wat Paa Sang Tham is a relatively fresh Buddhist landmark in Phangan, which began to be built not so long ago, and as far as I understand, it is still under construction. Buddhist objects usually remain unfinished for a long time, because money from temples is taken only from donations, and the speed of construction depends on them. I could not find any historical clues in Russian or English on the network, so the descriptive part of the post will contain only what I saw. The place, by the way, is very cozy, secluded and beautiful.
The content of the article
Wat paa sang tham
The temple seems to have 2 names, one from Google Maps (Wat Paa Sang Tham), the second from the banner (Saeng Dham Temple) that hangs at the entrance. If you look closely, it is obvious that this is practically the same thing, it's just that Thais are not always friendly with the English language. Wat in Thai means temple, temple is the same in English.
The temple is located on a hillside in a valley along which the main road between the beaches runs Tong Sala and Chaloklam. Approximately in the same part of the island where the exit to Paradise Falls and literally a hundred meters from another major attraction of Phangan - Chinese Temple. The Paa Sang Tham temple, by the way, is also one of those institutions where Thai Buddhists did not limit themselves to only Buddhist themes and mixed one hundred in one. On the territory of the temple, there are statues of both the gods of Hinduism and the Chinese pantheon, apparently for greater audience coverage (it is a known fact that Thais with Chinese roots in Thailand are very large).
The territory of the temple begins with a bridge over a charming stream and consists of four main areas of interest: the Chinese pantheon to the right of the entrance, a new pagoda (above the pantheon), an old pagoda (to the left and above the old pagoda) and a Buddha statue at the highest point of the location. There is also a fifth zone, but it already refers to long-term pleasures, and not to a five-minute run with a camera - a sauna. Phangan, in contrast to neighboring Samui, pleases with the number of saunas that were built either for private money or are located at temples (but also not free). According to visitors' reviews, the sauna in the temple is quite tolerable, worthy of attention and money, but I myself did not go, only to The dome.
The banner at the entrance says Saeng Dham Temple
Wat Paa Sang Tham or Saeng Dham Temple
The temple has a meditation room, several austerity booths and many boxes for donations for the construction and development of the temple. The entire area is sheltered from the sun by the jungle and the discomfort can only be humidity if it has recently rained.
Moving between areas of interest will take steps or steep paths, and the very last staircase leading to the statue of Buddha has 100 steps (as the sign at the beginning of the ascent says, but in fact there are only 96). The place is popular among Thais, well, there are a lot of tourists here - only a very short-sighted person will not be able to see the entrance gate from the road.
Information to visit
Admission is free and free, but I'm not sure if it's around the clock. There is a parking lot right after the bridge, not the largest one, but several cars and a dozen bikes will stand up without problems. Due to the fact that the temple is active and there are monks on the territory, the dress code should be observed here «closed shoulders and knees» for both girls and men.
On the map
Wat Paa Sang Tham Temple
Wat Paa Sang Tham Temple
Buddha statues are located on the territory right in nature, including by large boulders, and there is a forest around. It is quiet and few people, this is a functioning monastery where monks study.
More about the temple.
Buddha statues are located on the territory right in nature, including by large boulders, and there is a forest around. It is quiet and few people, it is a functioning monastery where monks study. More about the temple.