Wat Chalong
Wat Chalong is one of the most popular temples among tourists and residents of Phuket. In total, there are 31 Buddhist shrines on the island.
It is not known exactly when the temple was built, one of the first references was celebrated in 1837, when the monastery of Wat Chalong was rebuilt. After 9 years, the monastery was given the status of a royal, as well as the name Wat Chayyataram. The monastery became famous thanks to the Thai doctor Luang Pho Chem, who lived in it. As some rumors say, it was by force for him to raise even the most hopeless patient to his feet. For treatment, they pulled to the doctor from all over Thailand and the nearest countries. Later, doctors appointed the abbot of the temple. After the death of Luang Pho Chema, Wat Chalong Temple became a religious building, and many Thais rushed here hoping to be cured. They believe that even after death, a doctor can cure patients. The memory of the doctor was immortalized in the sculpture, which is set in the Buddhist sanctuary.
Believers left a lot of money here, which in 1978 was used for another restructuring of the temple. To do this, vihars ( buildings where Buddhists ), bogot ( main temple ), pavilions live. So the temple of Wat Chalong became one of the most elegant and royal in the country.
It is worth noting that only monks can get into the main temple, and even then at a certain time. Tourists should also think about clothes. In shorts and even more so in underwear they will not be allowed here. Once in the temple, you should go to the mortar in which the Buddha's humerus lies. Sri Lanka gave the shrine to the king of Thailand on the occasion of his birthday in 1999. Also in the temple complex, tourists will be able to find out their fate, for this we must go to the prayer hall. In the hall there are tin boxes with sticks, it is necessary to shake the box until the wand with the number falls out, if there are several, then put it back and shake until one falls. After going with a wand to numbered cabinets, find a cabinet where the number of the wand and the cabinet will match. The closet contains a prophecy, the predictions just wrote in Chinese and Thai only. Also in the hall there are small blocks, you need to take 2 blocks and guess something. If the blocks fall on one side, then your desire will not come true, if different, then it will come true. After the end of these simple fortune-telling, it is advisable to leave the offering, because there are rumors that those who wondered but did not leave the gift of instilling misfortune.
If this scares you, then you should go to the statue of an elephant by a vihara. According to the legend of the stroking abdomen, an elephant will succeed. You can also buy a ribbon in the temple complex of Wat Chalong, which is tied to a ritual tree at the prayer hall, which is called Sala. Wat Chalong has a small pond with goldfish and lotuses. These plants and fish were not chosen by chance. Lotuses personify purity and harmony, and goldfish are rich and successful.
Around the clock in the temple you can hear the sounds of firecrackers. According to legends, pops scare away evil spirits, for this they built a furnace into which firecrackers throw for safety reasons. A specially trained monk with headphones throws firecrackers. To say goodbye in the temple you can buy sticks with incense, set fire to and stick into a special tray. Local beliefs say it brings good luck.
