Wolfgang's photos with the keyword: Wat Wang Wiwekaram

The famous Wang Wiwekaram Temple, diocese of the revered Uttama Abbot. This extensive temple on the southern outskirts of Sangkhlaburi edges the Khao Laem reservoir. The complex is constructed in an unusual mix of Thai, Indian and Burmese Buddhist architectural styles, and the abbot “Luang Pho Uttama” is highly revered among local people including tribal folks and Burmese. Once we met Phra Uttama Abbot, he passed away in Oct. 2006.

Construction of the famous Wat Wang Wiwekaram started in 1982 under the direction of the Abbot Luang Pho Uttama. It was built in similar style to the Buddhagaya Temple in India and is now a pilgrimage site for Indian Buddhists living in Thailand. 400 Mon people fabricated 260,000 bricks and donated a majority of the money used in the shrine’s construction.

The landmark is the 59-meter high replica of Chedi Buddhakhaya. The top of the Chedi contains Buddha's relics from Sri Lanka.The shrine houses "Luang Por Khao", a large white marble Buddha image. Near the lake is an exotic bell tower built in Mon architecture.

The temple was built on the donation of villagers who had faith in Abbot Uttama. It is the shrine of Mon's pride and the most important temple of Sangkhlaburi. Thousands of pilgrims make their way annually to the lakeside monastery, where U Uttama’s body lies. Many take weekend breaks at the lake, boarding boats for trips out into the mysterious waters to see the ruins of the indundated village beneath its surface - the foreigners among them usually unaware of the real-life, still unresolved mystery that lurks behind the walls of Wat Wang Wiwekaram.