MUST-SEE TOP 9 ATTRACTIONS
Sri Buddha Gaya Pagoda
This multi-storey pagoda resembles the original built in India in the 3rd century BCE to mark the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment. The first floor features the Buddha of Mercy and Peace. The second houses Maitreya (the future Buddha) and opens out to a terrace, where you can enjoy a beautiful 360° view of natural fields and forest. The beautifully designed exterior of the Pagoda is a masterpiece in itself. The Pagoda commemorates the late King Rama IX’s Diamond Jubilee in 2006, as well as World Visakah Puja Day.
Phra Buddha Watcharachai Borphit
Phra Buddha Watcharachai Borphit (the Buddha who Achieved Victory Through Diamond-Like Strength) marks the peak of Bodhisattva Mountain, the highest point of the Monastery. This approximately fifty-three foot tall Buddha in demon-defeating posture commemorates King Rama IX’s Platinum Jubilee and Queen Sirikit’s 84th birthday in 2016.
Crystal Ubosot and Makutpunttana Chedi
This glass building built in modified Indian-Thai style is the ordination and principal recitation hall of the Monastery, as well as a symbolic site of the Buddha’s cremation. The building features footprints of the Buddha, a reclining Buddha, and a principal Buddha offered by Princess Ubol Ratana, the eldest child of King Rama IX. The glass structure makes this ubosot and cremation site distinct from other ones in Thailand. The lucid material represents the importance of maintaining transparency and purity when doing good for others. The top of the ubosot contains dirt from all provinces in Thailand–and Kushinagar, where the Buddha took his last breath.
Sri Maharaj Pagoda
An ideal spot for learning about Thai history and royals’ sacrifices, this forty-five meters tall pagoda built to celebrate King Rama IX’s Golden Jubilee in 1996 contains sculptures, paintings, and halls of important monarchs and warriors. The Pagoda is made up of seven floors. Each level is dedicated to various royals from the seventh century onward.
Dharma Maekka Stupa
Standing fifteen meters tall, this stupa is a smaller replica of the original one in Sarnath, India, where the Buddha preached his first sermon. The structure symbolizes the emergence and premier of dharma (the Buddha’s teachings). The interior of the replicated stupa contains five marble pagodas modeled from a famous third-century pagoda in Nakhon Si Thammarat, which is a landmark and national attraction of that province.
Deities Dwelling Chapel (Sor Wor Vihara)
This chapel features beautifully crafted colorful statues of nine astrological gods who guard over each day of the week. The faces of each god, modeled after contemporary Thai citizens, reflect delicate artistry.
The Buddha’s Birthplace
Representing Lumpini One Garden in Nepal, where the Buddha was born, this attraction features the scene of the Buddha’s birth, lotus flowers that bloomed to caress his feet, and a gold statue of the baby Buddha with a special symbol on the top of his head.
The Giant Faceless Buddha: Phra Pakhawambodi
This ten meters tall Buddha overlooking the first hill of Bodhisattva Mountain is unlike any other in the world: He has no eyes, nose, mouth, or ears. His unorthodox design serves to remind us to uncling from our five senses and to cultivate mindful inner attunement. The name Pakhawambodi refers to fortune of virtues and the grace of the Buddha, which we can develop by maintaining our senses under mindful-tranquil composure, as symbolized by the facelessness of this Buddha.
