Year 2008 the Wat Chalong Fair with be held from February 6 to 12.

Wat Cholong Fair Description

The Wat Chalong Fair is an 8 day event every year at the end of January. Wat Chalong is the most revered Buddhist temple in south Thailand.

The finger bone of Buddha is kept in the special “Chedi” that is the largest temple building. Thai people flock to the festival for the fun, games, food, shopping, and socializing. Many Thai people also show respect for their religion and temple by making an offering at the main temple by laying flowers, lighting a candle and some incense while offering a prayer. The entire Wat (Temple) is transformed with bright lights and music and the smell of fresh BBQ roasting in the air. It is really quite exciting and a great way to better understand the Thai culture and people.

Vendors offer goods for sale in long rows of canvas tent shops and stalls. Everything you might think of is for sale. Lots of clothing, bags, hats, jewelry, cosmetics, flowers, ceramics, and more types of food, snacks and sweets are on display than you can imagine.

Like most fairs and festivals there are entertainment areas with games of chance, water-dunk tanks, shooting games for stuffed animals and presents, dart games, etc. There are large playground areas with air-cushion slides, train rides, ferris wheels, and merry-go-rounds.

At the front of the fair, which is quite large and requires lots of walking, is the restaurant area with large patio style eating areas. Thai cuisine from all parts of Thailand is available. From southern Thai cuisine to Issan dishes, the fair offers something of a “taste of Thailand.”

The fair has gotten bigger every year. It seems something new is for sale very year. This year there were several orchid sellers and exotic koy and goldfish for outdoor aquariums.

Muay Thai boxing matches are held every two or three days along with Thai “Reekay” which is a cultural dance and musical style of entertainment. The last three days of the fair, popular Thai vocal artists take stage for concerts that bring more than 15,000 people. No matter what day or night you come (opens most days around 11:00 a.m.) the Wat Chalong Fair is great fun with lots of bargains to be had shopping and great food for the eating.

This temple enshrines a golden Buddha image that sprang up from beneath the earth long ago. The story is of a young boy who tied his buffalo to what he thought was a post; it was in an area at that time given over to the raising of animals. After doing so, he fell down in agony and died. The father of the boy dreamed that the reason his son had died was for the sin of tying a filthy buffalo to a sacred object, that what the boy thought was a post was in reality the golden peak of the Buddha’s conical cap. He told his neighbors the dream and they all went out to dig up the statue but had no success.

Later, at the time of Thao Thep Kasatri’s heroic defense against the Burmese in 1785, the invaders tried to succeed where the villagers had failed; their intention was to take the Buddha image back to Burma. Sacred objects and slaves were then the most sought after spoils for armies. The Burmese, however, were unable to retrieve the golden Buddha despite several attempts; they were finally driven off by a swarm of angry hornets.

After this the villagers decided to protect their miraculous statue by covering the part that stuck up from the ground with a plaster cast of Buddha’s head and shoulders which is the way it is today. Located north of the traffic light on the outskirts of Thalang Town. A large sign shows the entrance.

This is the oldest Buddhist temple on Phuket and was built when Thalang was still the capital of the island. The grounds of this historic temple are where the Battle of Thalang took place in 1785, when the local people fought off Burmese invaders.

It is rumoured that the Burmese were after the temple’s Lai Tong, religious manuscripts which are folded like an accordion. These manuscripts were believed to contain treasure maps which the Burmese wanted to find.

The temple is sometimes referred to as the “Temple of the White Blood” because of a woman who according to folklore, bled white blood when she was cut. The ordination hall is dedicated to her.

Getting there:

Wat Phra Nang Sang is located on Thepkrasatri Road, just before the main junction at Thalang, on the left hand side if heading away from Phuket City.

(Wat Karon at sunset)

     This temple is a nice surprise situated about ten minutes’ walk from Karon Beach. The proper name for this temple is Wat Suwan Khiri Khet, but most people refer to it simply as Wat Karon. This is not a temple which is often frequented by tourists and you can enjoy the quiet here. It makes a peaceful contrast from the action, shopping and touts just down the road. Worth a visit if you are in Karon.

Address: Patak Rd, Karon
Directions: Walk straight down Patak Rd. from the big rotunda. You’ll reach the wat in five minutes.

Credit by : Hewer

Wat Chalong, situated approximately eight kms southeast of Phuket town, with its typical architecture found throughout Thailand, is not known for its artistic merit.

But the temple still remains the biggest and the most beautifully ornamented of Phuket’s 29 Buddhist monasteries.

The Chalong Temple is associated with three revered monks of Luang Pro Chaem, renowned herbal doctors and setters of bones, who helped the people of Phuket put down the Ahngyee — Chinese Coolie, Rebellion in 1876 during the reign of Rama V.

Statues of Luang Por Chuang and Luang Por Gluam, other monks who were abbots of the temple during later times, and who are the objects of respect and recipients of offerings by Phuket people generally, are enshrined at the Temple.

Actually entering into the temple you are not charged any admission fees but a small donation of 10 baht to contribute to maintenance or restoration costs is appreciated.

Remember - remove your shoes before entering any temple building.

Do not treat the Buddha images disrespectfully, however, you may photograph monks (importantly, women should remember not to touch them), temples or images and all Buddhist ceremonies.

For the most memorable visit try to time your trip for the weekly holy day when the monks chant Buddhist scriptures in the mornings. The holy days are based on a lunar calendar, so check with the locals to plan your excursion.

How to get there: Wat Chalong is about 8 km outside town. Take Vichit Songkram Road to the Bypass Road and turn left, and drive for about 10 mins. Wat Chalong is on the left.