BUDDHIST MOUNTAIN

In a previous post, I talked about how Tim and I rode up to visit the wat on the mountain behind our house on the Buddhist holiday of Wan Kao Pansa.  Reading Jamie's Phuket blog today, I found out that the name of the peak is Khao Nakkerd (also known as "Buddha Mountain") and following a link there led me to even more information about the giant Buddha being constructed up there.

The name of the Buddha is Mingmongkol and it will be 45 meters tall when completed.  The large golden statue we observed on our visit is merely a 12-meter replica of the actual image that will eventually placed atop the massive concrete base.  The wat's name is Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri.  The foundation stone was laid in May 2002 in a special ceremony.  In addition to being a park area for Buddhist worship and meditation, the Buddha is made to honor His Majesty King Bhumiphol Adulyadej.  Apparently, there were some delays in construction due to money issues and building rites but work seems to be proceeding now at a rapid pace.  The views from the top of the mountain truly are spectacular.