A wat in Thailand is a Buddhist temple complex. It is a place of worship for Buddhists, and also serves as a community center and a place for religious education. Wats are typically enclosed by walls and contain a variety of buildings and structures, including:
- Bot: The main prayer hall, where monks and laypeople gather for worship and ceremonies.
- Chedi: A bell-shaped stupa that contains relics of the Buddha or other important Buddhist figures.
- Viharn: A hall that houses Buddha images and is used for meditation and other religious activities.
- Monastery: Where monks live and study.
Wats also often have other structures, such as libraries, schools, and crematoria.
Wats play an important role in Thai society. They are not only places of worship, but also centers for community life and culture. Wats are often used for festivals and other social events, and they provide a variety of services to the community, such as education, healthcare, and social welfare.
What this isn’t telling you is the amount of Wats being built in Thailand as tourist attractions to attract tourists and their dollars.
Seems to be a stark contrast between a place of worship for Buddhist’s and spending millions and millions of US dollars to build something so extravagant with the main goal to attract tourists?
There are over 40,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand and one would wonder why so many?
If you look at the design and extravagance of some of these temples, money raising seems to be the main goal.
This to me is not about religion at all.
The great Buddha at the Wat Muang temple in Ang Thong Province, is 302 feet tall.
There are all kinds of extravagant temple statues all over Thailand and they are still building more.