Phetchabura Buddhist Park, known in Thai as Phuttha Uthayaan Phetchabura (พุทธอุทยานเพชรบุระเพชรบูรณ์),
is a park in Thailand's northeastern Phetchabun (เพชรบูรณ์) Province, located
off the main highway into Phetchabun City. At its main entrance is a large
replica of Mahadhammaracha (มหาธรรมราชา), a bronze Buddha image that is cast in
the Lopburi (ลพบุรี)-style and which is the kuh bahn kuh meuang (คู่บ้านคู่เมือง),
i.e. the local symbol, of Phetchabun, where it is the focus of the annual Diving
Buddha Image Festival, of which scenes are depicted on the bas-relief plaques on
the pillars at the top of the balustrade on main staircase that leads to the
statue. The giant Mahadhammaracha Crowned Buddha in Phetchabura Buddhist Park,
is the reportedly the largest Buddha statue of its kind in the world and was
officially inaugurated on 26 September 2011. The park features a lake with a
small island that can be reached by a bridge that has a pavilion at its center,
where visitors can buy fish feed to feed the fish in the lake. The island has
white several white stone statues depicting scenes of the major events in the
life of the Buddha, i.e. his birth, Enlightenment, his first sermon, the
teaching of the dharma (धर्म), and his demise or parinirvana (परनिर्वाणि). In
the lake are a number of bronze statues, dived into two groups. The group of
four statues in the northern part are depictions of the snake-like Naga (नाग)
Queen Chao Yah Sri Patum Mah Naki (เจ้าย่าศรีปทุมมานาคี); a stag, i.e. a male
deer, which when represented in Buddhist art typically refers to Mrigadava
(मृगदाव), the former name of Sarnath (सारनाथ) where the Buddha gave his first
sermon, thus setting in motion the Buddhist Wheel of Law; a monkey holding a
tree branch with a honeycomb, and an elephant with a bamboo cylinder containing
water, referring to the pahng pah leh laai (ปางป่าเลไลย์) scene in which a
monkey brought the Buddha honey to eat and an elephant water to lessen his
thirst, when the Buddha had retired in the forest in search for calm when his
disciples were quarreling amongst themselves. The second group of bronze statues
in the southern part of the lake are depictions of an ox; two rooster-like
birds; a naga; a turtle, and a singh (สิงห์) or singha (सिंह), i.e. a
mythological lion.
回
|