PHETCHABURA BUDDHIST PARK

VIDEO DESCRIPTION

 

 

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.