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Wat Muang – the new miracle of faith. We are proud to present the Biggest and the most beautiful sitting Buddha in Thailand. Let’s go!
Ang Thong is a small province located at the lower part of central Thailand as large as 968 square kilometers.
The city and surrounding area is noted for huge reclining Buddha, courageous heroes, court dolls, famous wickerwork, drum-making region, and double reclining Buddha.
Unfortunately, there are not too many public busses to Angthong. But you can try to get the bus at Mochit from Bangkok – Angthong. The bus costs about 100 baht/person but I don’t want to recommend you to try the Thai Bus!
The distance is about 150 kilometers from Bangkok by car, or only about 1.5 hours away from Bangkok.
When you get to Angthong downtown which I already mentioned this is just a small town. You need to follow the sign to Suphanburi (TH: สุพรรณบุรี) or Vises-chaichan (TH: วิเศษชัยชาญ). It’s about 10-15 mins away from the downtown!(GPS: N14.593597 E100.379913)
Wat Muang was an abandoned temple found in 1982 by Abbot Kasem.
A year later, the abbot began restoration on the temple. And that made the fame of this temple from monster statues which we call “Pret” (TH: เปรต).
Pret (the monster) will look very tall and skinny with long messy hair, but with a big tummy, big hand and tiny mouth (size of a needle’s hole) and that is why it is hungry all the time, because they can’t eat much! We also call it the “Hungry ghost”.
Pret would appear and scream, asking you to share them some merit as they need to be fed at all time. And if they get enough merit, they could re-born to become a better ghost.
Pret statues in Wat Muang are perfect and clearly describe for what PRET is… But the real Pret is ugly naked, but the monk has put the pants on for both of them (just not good for the kids to see!) The statue is very high, about 10 meters (30 feet).
The local people told us that their names are Ting (male) and Tong (female)…
Ugly? In Buddhism, we believe if you hurt your parents, you would turn to be “Pret” after you died. So the Thai parents will take their kids to this temple. It’s another way to teach the kids to love and respect their parents.
There are only two places you could be after you died (Buddhist), Heaven or Hell. It depends on what did you do!
So beside, both of Prets, you will see other statues showing how bad hell is…
Example for the right picture, these evils cheated on their wife/husband, they will have to climb on the tree surrounded by thorns (just like Durien fruit).
Its thorn will hurt their skin but if they didn’t climb up, the guys would use spear pushing them or else the giant dogs would bite therr butt. And once they got on the top of thorn tree, the giant crow would peck in their eyes.
So everywhere they are in the tree, only HURTS (PAIN?)!
Don’t be that scared, the main idea in this temple is to just give you thought before you decide to become a bad person.
If you have time, 1-2 hours, I would recommend you to explore the grounds of Wat Muang. There are other statues from the famous Thai novels, Or our history when we had to fight with the enemy in the past, and All the angels or god statues in many kinds…
I’m sure that you will enjoy walking around the ground garden with all statues…
Crystal Hall, the main temple has walls covered with small glass mirrors inside and out which gives it a spectacular effect.
When you walk inside, just like you are in the middle of big diamond!!!
This hall cost about 25 million baht and houses Thai monks statues, and the undecaying body of Ajarn Kasem who passed away for almost 10 years, very interesting…
In 1991, the abbot Kasem had began to build the biggest sitting buddha but so sad, he died before the statue was finished in 2001 at 54 years old.
The statue continued building until finished in 2007. It took 16 years with a cost of 106 million baht, 63.05 metre width and 95 metre hieght. This is our pride for all Thai people to have the most beautiful buddha for our country…
To touch the buddha’s hand, it will bring you a good luck!
Come to see and visit…I bet that even you are not a buddhist but you will be amazed by all the works over here!
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