Wat Phra Thong

Wat Phra Thong:

Wat Phra Thong (or as the road sign says: Wat Prathong) sits in Thalang district and is famous for its Golden Buddha statue, called Luang Poh Phra Thong, with only its upper body visible above the ground.

The temple, also known as Wat Phra Phud (the temple of the half-buried Buddha), opens at 8.00 am in the morning and closes at 5.30 pm in the late afternoon. It needs some planning to visit this temple because of its 20 km north of Phuket town location, as you do not really want to be caught up in the in-and-out of the city afternoon traffic. We suggest you to combine this visit with one at the reclining Buddha, for which you just need to continue heading towards the airport, take a u-turn and look out for the small sign on the right-hand side.

While there are a lot of mystical explanations on why there is a half-buried Buddha; the reason is most likely to be a change in direction of a nearby canal which flooded the area and buried the Luang Poh Phra Tong statue under a layer of mud. King Rama VI gave the statue its official name during his 1909 visit to Phuket. The temple is particularly revered by Thai-Chinese who believe the image hails from China. During Chinese New Year many pilgrims travel from Phang-Nga, Takua Pa and Krabi to pay their respects. Also included in the compound here are a crematorium and an historical museum.

As we have mentioned before: “there is a strong Thai-Chinese link”. Therefore you might want, on your way back to Phuket town, to pay a visit to the big Chinese temple on the left side of the road, the taoist Tha Rua Shrine. Or if you do not want to miss your first sunset cocktail on the beach, you might just want to plan it for your next trip to Phuket.