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Wat Phra Thong (Wat Phra Thong)

172/2 Nanai Road, Thep Krasatti, Thalang, Phuket 83110, Thailand

"Phra Thong is a Buddhist temple in Thalang district north of Phuket city in Thailand. The temple is famous for its golden Buddha image called Luang Poh Phra Thong which is half buried in the ground. Phra Thong Pagoda is also known as Luang Poh Phra Thong. called Wat Phra Phud (Temple of the Protruding Buddha), is a popular attraction for domestic and international tourists to visit."

Wat Phra Thong has a long history and is of great religious significance to Phuket. In 1909, King Rama VI, then still a crown prince, visited the temple and gave it an official name. Housed within the temple is the upper half of a large golden Buddha that seems to rise out of the ground.

Legend has it that a farmer who was herding buffalo tied the buffalo to a post-like object in an open field. When he got home, he fell seriously ill and died shortly afterwards along with his buffalo. The poor father dreamed of this and went to check the pole, which turned out to be the top part of a large Buddha statue buried. Many villagers came to help dig it up, but no matter how hard they tried, only half of the statue was revealed. A monk on his pilgrimage discovered the holy statue and came up with the idea to build a temple around the buried Buddha. Since then Wat Phra Thong has become the spiritual center of the local community.

Another legend is also very thrilling, that in 1785 the Burmese invaders of Thalang repeatedly tried to excavate the statue to bring it back to Burma. However, each time they dig into the ground, a large swarm of wasps fly up to attack, eventually they have to give up. Later, the raised part of the statue was gilded by the villagers and remains that way to this day.

The current most plausible explanation for why there are half-buried Buddha statues at Wat Prathong is that a nearby canal changed direction and flooded the area, leaving it partially buried under the alluvial layer. .

Wat Phra Thong is a relatively small temple, but with a number of buildings with unique architecture and interesting stories, it is still a place worth a visit. In addition to the main attraction, the half-buried golden Buddha statue, Phra Thong Temple also houses a museum where you can view historical items donated by locals such as tin mining utensils, Chinese dowry baskets, Chinese teen-tuk shoes, food vessels, cannons, and Javanese daggers.

Opening hours: Wat Phra Thong is open every day of the week from 08:00 - 17:30

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