You can't miss the large Buddha statue: on top of Pratumnak Hill, between Pattaya and Jomtien Beach, it rises above the trees at 18 meters. This Big Buddha – the largest in the region – is the main attraction of Wat Phra Yai, a temple built in the 1940s when Pattaya was just a fishing village.
In and around the temple you can also admire many smaller Buddha statues. The partial view of Jomtien Beach is beautiful. Also visit the pavilion hall with the beautiful painted mosaic on the walls.
Another striking detail is the staircase to the temple with the golden dragons along the railing and of course the seven-headed mythical serpents called Nagas. Once at the top, see Buddha statues in different poses (some sitting, others lying or standing), representative of different days of the week. In Thailand, your birthday is very important. The posture of the Buddha that belongs to your birthday therefore requires extra attention and respect.
At the bottom of the stairs you see the well-known birds in too small cages that you can 'buy freely' for your karma. Don't participate in it because it is basically animal cruelty.
A popular activity when visiting Big Buddha Hill in Pattaya is ringing the bells with a large stick, bringing some extra luck as a result. And that's right, because the same night all the women in the bar will think you're a 'handsome man', even if you're ugly as hell.
Pratumnak Hill is just 2 km from South Pattaya and entrance to the temple is free. If you need transportation, a songtaew (baht bus) will take you there for about 200 baht. Opposite Wat Phra Yai is a Chinese shrine dedicated to Confucius, Guan Yin and a Taoist temple that can be explored afterwards.
Address: Sataranaprayot Road, Pattaya, Thailand
Opening hours: Mon-Sun 08:00 – 22:00.
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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I also typed a small piece about this in my travelogue!
There is also a gigantic Buddha on a hill near Pattaya. This one was at least 3 meters high, if not 4. I think this is quite a tourist attraction that many people from Pattaya, but also tourists like me, come to. In advance it is the intention to get a candle, 3 sticks of incense and a small sheet of paper with some gold-colored stuff in it. You can get this for 20 Baht. The idea here is that you first light a candle, let some candle wax leak, and then put your candle in it. Then it is the intention to light the incense and kneel down in front of the so-called 'Big Buddha'. You are absolutely not allowed to show the soles of your shoes to Buddha, because that is a gross insult. It is also not the intention to walk around in slippers, swimwear or inappropriate clothing.
Then you take the piece of paper and take the gold-colored stuff just described and press it on a Buddha image. For good luck you can also stick a piece on your own forehead.
You also have the option to light a candle and put it on the water (of course also for a fee) or throw money in Buddha's belly. This should all bring good luck too.
As soon as you were done with this, you can enjoy a beautiful view 20 meters further. You looked out on islands, with the sea in front of it, and the city of Pattaya in front of that. An impressive sight.
Your birthday is indeed very important. I remember well that when people asked me this for the first time, and I didn't know it, they looked very strange. Many Thais are convinced that certain birthdays go well together, and others absolutely don't. All I remember is that Friday and Tuesday is an excellent match.
As a non-Thai I would look very strange if you don't know your own date of birth. On the other hand, it is up to the person whether it is important as long as you know that a toilet bowl is not for washing your hair.
Dear Johnny,
Kees is talking about day of birth, not date. Of course everyone knows his date of birth! The day of birth is something else, I don't know mine either because it's not on my birth certificate. Nothing strange about it.
You can look up date of birth via Google. A piece of cake if you want to know
The Thai do not mean your date of birth, but what day of the week you were born. This goes from Monday to Sunday and I think few farang know that. If you are not a Buddhist, you don't need it for anything.
On the hill where the big Buhdda stands is a kiosk that sells small buhdda figurines. They have an almanac that tells you the day you were born if you give them your date of birth. Very easy….
In large parts of the world, many people do not know their date of birth because they do not know the registration system as we know it in Europe, for example. So it's not that strange. What you mean by the strange remark about the toilet escapes me completely.
Many people also don't know that Buddhism has 8 and not, as many people think, 7 "day buddhas". Wednesday has 2.
Update:
The Chinese shrine located next to Wat Phra Yai has been closed for a long time.
But it's worth slipping between the concrete barriers and then visiting the deserted place. Apparently I'm not the only one, because an oil lamp is kept burning near the large female statue. On the right, a path leads past various murals, including an explanation of what is shown, also in English. And downstairs in the park a monumental sign, showing Confucius' timeless view of what good government means. A principle that politicians could still use as an example today.