Wat Bang Riang

Wat Bang Riang, Phangnga (3 October, 2005)


Wat Bang Riang (GPS: 8.59671, 98.6773) is a large Buddhist temple in Phangnga Province, Thailand. The name Wat Bang Riang is taken from the village where it is located, for the temple's actual name is Wat Rat Upatham วัดราษฏร์อุปถัมภ์ .

I visited Wat Bang Riang on 3 October, 2005, on my way from Phuket back to Penang. At that time, I did not know the name of the temple, and could not find any information (as details on Google Maps at that time was still sketchy). But over time, information on Google Maps improved, and eventually, there is also Google Street View all the way to the entrance of the temple. So, today, over ten years after the visit, I am able to finally do the write up about this temple.

To begin, there appears to be some confusion over the actual name of this temple, as some searches on the web points to another nearby temple - the one where the viharn is located on a stylized boat in a man-made lake. But no, I believe the temple on the hill is indeed Wat Rat Upatham, also called Wat Bang Riang.

Wat Bang Riang was established by a Thai Buddhist monk by the name of Luang Por Chai, who arrived in the village of Thap Put in the 1980s. His ailing mother lived in that village, so he decided to settle there in order to be able to look after her. At that time, he saw a need in the village. As there were no temples in the area, the locals were greatly inconvenient whenever someone pass away, as there would be no proper temple to hold a funeral service.

Luang Por Chai therefore decided to build a temple in the area. Despite it being a sparsely populated village, Luang Por Chai decided that the temple should be a grand one, in order to impress the inhabitants of the surrounding areas. By enticing them to visit it, he hoped to stir in them an interest in the Buddhist faith and to get to know more about Buddhism. Construction of Wat Bang Riang began in the late 1980s under the aegis of His Majesty, the late King Rama IX.

The entrance to Wat Bang Riang is an ascending walkway flanked on either sides by undulating nagas. This leads to the first of three main features of the temple complex, which is the bell-shaped chedi, called Pra Mahathat Chedi Puttham Ban Lue พระมหาธาตุเจดีย์พุทธรรมบันลือ . The chedi is painted white. The top portion is conical, and has circular mouldings. This is folowed by the harmika, or throne of Buddha, which is a short square structure. Following that is the bulbous bell, with images of the seated Buddha in tiers around its side. This sits on a podium surrounded by smaller stupas, and that itself is surrounded by an octagonal cloister.

From the chedi, a passage leads to a garden with the statue of the Goddess of Mercy, or Kuan Im, as its main feature. Built it a distinctly Chinese style, this is the tallest statue of the Goddess of Mercy in southern Thailand. The appearance of the Kuan Im in an otherwise Thai temple reflects how fluid the beliefs and architectural styles seem to blend together.

The third and final main feature of Wat Bang Riang is the gilded statue of the Buddha seated in the lotus posture, and sheltered by a five-headed naga. This is located on a hill a short distance from the Goddess of Mercy statue.

Address

Wat Bang Riang
Thap Put District,
Phangnga Province 82180,
Thailand.

Entrance to Wat Bang Riang. (3 October, 2005)


One of the naga balustrades of Wat Bang Riang. (3 October, 2005)


Pra Mahathat Chedi Puttham Ban Lue. (3 October, 2005)


Buddha images on the sides of Pra Mahathat Chedi Puttham Ban Lue. (3 October, 2005)


Gilded Buddha figurines line the cloister of Pra Mahathat Chedi Puttham Ban Lue. (3 October, 2005)


The path around the base of Pra Mahathat Chedi Puttham Ban Lue. (3 October, 2005)


Pra Mahathat Chedi Puttham Ban Lue, Wat Bang Riang. (3 October, 2005)


The well-tended grounds of Wat Bang Riang. (3 October, 2005)

Wat Bang Riang on Google Street View

Parking area and entrance to Wat Bang Riang (Feb 2016)

Wat Bang Riang is on the map of Phangnga Province

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.