Buddha's footsteps in Thailand
Wat Yannasang Wararam in Pattaya
It goes without saying that Thailand is a Buddhist country par excellence. Each village has its "own" Wat, sometimes even several. That is actually surprising, because the population has little to spend.
Especially now that the rice harvests seem to be lost due to the drought. But the temples know how to get money from the people in all kinds of ways, it rubs against gambling. Even a small wheel of "adventure" could be discovered at one of the temples. It is good to take a look when visiting a temple, where money can be spent on anything. My name was “immortalized” by buying a roof tile and signing it.
Throughout the ages, people have been searching for the eternal values of philosophies. King Songtham, king of Ayutthaya kingdom in early 17e century, sent monks to Sri Lanka to learn more about Buddha. Once there, it was told that Buddha had already left his (foot) traces in Thailand. The king ordered to discover these traces in his kingdom.
Legend has it that a farmer accidentally discovered the footprints in 1623 while following an injured deer. When the deer emerged from the bushes, it was completely healed and ran away. The farmer pushed aside the brush and saw a large footprint filled with water. He drank from the water and was immediately cured of a nasty skin disease. The king heard about this and had a temple built over this footprint. The temple was destroyed in 1765 in the Burmese-Siamese war and two years followed the end of the Ayutthaya kingdom.
In a number of places in Thailand you can visit the footsteps of Buddha. This does not mean that Buddha must have actually been there. Sometimes, in honor of the king, a location is set up as a "footprint" of Buddha. A beautiful place where this can be admired is on the grounds of the Yansang Wararam temple. You enter the beautiful park-like Wat terrain and leave it at the rear. At the end of the road through the forest is a T-junction. To the left is a spacious parking lot. One can climb a long stone staircase to the "Footsteps" of Buddha. Or for motorcyclists turn right, immediately left and steeply up to this Pra Haa Mondop. In a beautiful building, two gold-plated footsteps can be admired in a glass display case. The view from this place is overwhelmingly beautiful as well as the entire area.
The Yansang Wararam Temple can be reached by driving over the Sukhumvit from Pattaya towards Sattahip. After 15 kilometers signs indicate where to turn left towards the temple.
– Relocated in memory of Lodewijk Lagemaat † February 24, 2021 –