Today’s plan was to rent a bike and drive to the Sanctuary of Truth, and later, to the far end of Jomtien beach.
I had my breakfast at the hotelitselfThe pool faces the posher rooms
After breakfast, I inquired about bike rentals at the hotel reception.
Chaba Hut Resort themselves had several bikes for rent. But NONE of them would start, or had some problem or the other.Tired of waiting, I ended up renting a Honda Click from a restaurant just outside the hotelI carried a map with me and highlighted the routeI had to get on a small road just off Pattaya Naklua RoadI did get lost at times, but I always stopped and asked around for directionsMost locals don’t know about the ‘Sanctuary of Truth,’ so you need to ask for Wat Prasat Mai or Wang Boran instead.This is the entrance to the Sanctuary of Truth
The entry fee is 500 baht (Rs. 930/$16/€12) per adult.
Inside, the land area is quite big. They have horses, goats, ducks and a few other animals
The compound is pretty big and offers other touristy activities like horse riding, elephant rides and ATV rides (all of which cost extra). The Sanctuary of Truth, also known as Wat Prasat Mai, was built by a Thai-Chinese business man, and you can read about the philosophy behind the temple here.
There she isNow to get there
The steps down are fewThis is a huge propertyThe property is by the seaThe temple is quite a sightAnd there’s so much intricate work done at every corner that you really don’t know where to begin
They have been working on this temple for more than 30 years…… and it’s still not complete!I went inI can’t imagine how many trees were cut to make this templeEvery step of the way (pun intended), it’s impressive
The temple is largely a tribute to both Buddhism and HinduismSo if you see sculptures that look kind of ‘Indian’ — it’s intentional
I can’t imagine the design talents needed to build this temple!
Scaffolding inside maybe look like a buzzkill, but like I said, this is still a work in progress
The temple is built by a Thai-Chinese businessman, so there’s some Chinese mythology thrown in for good measure as wellSome sculptures are ‘work-in-progress’
The work done on the ceilingI have seen intricate work done on countless temples and mosques in India — that too on stone. But this was still an impressive sight to beholdThe center of the templeShe was to perform a traditional dance laterHall of pillars
I wonder if they used single logs for this
Obviously there are some parts visitors have no access toI can’t imagine craftsmen working atop such laddersMany men…… and women work on wood all day longI guess this is how they carve out the designsLord Ganesha, a Hindu deity widely worshiped in ThailandI don’t know what this was
Jeez, the details!The lighting inside the main halls can be a bit challenging for photography, but they make for some interest compositionsI decided to make my way out
Elephant rides are on offer, just in case you wanted further evidence this ‘temple’ is purely a tourist destination than a spiritual place of worshipYou have a tiny beach here as wellThis was a model built and housed in another chamberI know it’s hard to read, but this is the story of the man behind Sanctuary of TruthThe workshop
Many pieces are sculpted piece by piece and then assembled inside the templeI sat by the lake to have lunchThey have a traditional dance for visitorsFollowed by a Thai traditional martial arts displayWith some audience participation…… and some humour thrown in for amusementAfter having my meal, I went back upI took some more shots from up here (the smudge is because of the drizzle)
There is just too much detail to take it
I spent more than four hours at Sanctuary of Truth, way more than most other visitors. I took many more photos (despite the cloudy skies), but decided not upload all of it simply because it would have taken too much work and make this post bigger than it already is.
I don’t know what goats and deers are doing here, but whateverI went back to the parking area
Pattaya doesn’t offer a whole lot that can be considered “cultural,” so I highly recommend a visit to The Sanctuary of Truth — despite it being more of a commercial venture. I can’t wait to see what the Sanctuary of Truth will look like in five years time. With Sanctuary of Truth done, my next plan for the day was to ride all the way to the end of Jomtien Beach. I’ll make it the next post.
The compound is pretty big and offers other touristy activities like horse riding, elephant rides and ATV rides (all of which cost extra).
The Sanctuary of Truth, also known as Wat Prasat Mai, was built by a Thai-Chinese business man, and you can read about the philosophy behind the temple here.
I spent more than four hours at Sanctuary of Truth, way more than most other visitors. I took many more photos (despite the cloudy skies), but decided not upload all of it simply because it would have taken too much work and make this post bigger than it already is.
