Big Buddha Statue on Koh Samui

Big Buddha Statue on Koh Samui

Most Thais are Buddhists, so there are many different places of worship in Thailand built by adherents of this religion. The island of Samui is no exception, with Big Buddha being the greatest pride of the island.

Big Buddha or Big Buddha is a gilded statue of Buddha sitting in the lotus position. It is 12 meters high and almost 6 meters wide (from knee to knee).

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The Big Buddha of Koh Samui stands on a platform surrounded by a fence with bells dangling from it. In order to attract good luck and get rid of sins, you need to strike each of these bells. The statue of the Big Buddha is surrounded by small sculptures of Standing Buddhas, which symbolize the days of the week. If you wish, you can make an offering to the statue symbolizing the day of your birth.

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The statue of Buddha was erected in 1972. The locals believe that since then the Buddha has taken the island under his protection, protecting it from all kinds of adversity and natural disasters. As the inhabitants of sunny and carefree Samui say, since then they have been bypassed by any misfortune.

Interesting places

Big Buddha on Koh Samui stands on a hill and is accessed by a wide staircase of 60 steps. This staircase is divided into three parts: the central part is used to go up, and the side parts are used to go down. The staircase has a very original railing in the form of snakes with dragon heads. At the foot of the stairs, on its two sides, there are buildings with statues of the Lying Buddha, small (human-sized) statues of Buddhas, figures of saints. All of them can be presented with flowers or incense sold here.

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Some hundred meters from the stairs, right in the sea water, is a fabulous sculptural ensemble. Here you can see a mermaid, a rider on a horse with a dragon's head, a monk, a flutist. And the main character of this exposition is considered to be a woman with fangs, killing enemies of local residents.

By the way, although the top of the site has beautiful views of the sea, Koh Phangan Island, Samui Island, but it is not very good to take pictures - the trees and construction site interfere. To get good pictures you need to go around the hill and go behind the back of the Buddha, from here you will get great shots with views of the island of Phangan and the Gulf of Siam. A special "highlight" is the picturesque stones lying in one line and the pillars of the old pier sticking out in the distance.

It is forbidden to come to religious places in Thailand in T-shirts and shorts, the clothes should be more strict. But Big Buddha is an exception, hundreds of tourists come here every day in such clothes, and no one is outraged. But one rule must be followed: at the bottom, before the stairs, shoes must be taken off and you have to go barefoot to the statue.

Downstairs there is a small market with souvenir shops where you can buy clothes, jewelry, souvenirs and, of course, statuettes of Buddha. The prices there are quite high, the same things are sold much cheaper in the markets and stores.

But there is one shop that deserves special attention; it is interesting just to look at the items on display. The art of making popular movie characters out of metal and old car parts is well-developed in Thailand.

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So, this shop sells transformers, and from very small, up to the size greater than human height. What else is there to bring from Thailand?

How to get there

There are no exact addresses on Koh Samui, so you have to navigate by landmarks to get to all the sights, and Big Buddha is no exception. The statue is located on Phan Island, near Wat Phra Yai Temple and the airport, on the northeast side of the island.

It is not difficult to get there. You have to drive along the coast along the beach Bo Phut to the pier, from which the ferries to the island of Koh Tao depart. There is an arch next to this pier, which you have to drive into - from there the road to the island.

If you want to stay near the place for a while, you can book a hotel through the service Hotelluk (see below) - there you can immediately see in which booking system rooms in the desired hotel are cheaper. Discounts can be as much as 80%.

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