Wat Chalong - The Largest & Most Visited Buddhist Temple in Phuket

 

Wat Chalong or formally Wat Chaiyathararam is the largest, most revered and most visited Buddhist temple in Phuket. It is dedicated to two highly venerable monks, Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang, who led the citizens of Chalong Subdistrict fighting against the Chinese rebellion in 1876 and with their knowledge of herbal medicine helped the injured. According to some sources, it was built at the beginning of the 19th century. Wat Chalong is the most important of the 29 buddhist temples, located in the Chalong Subdistrict, Mueang Phuket District.

 

 

Outside the temple, you will see nothing less than fun and excitement. Plenty of food stalls ensure no one walks around hungry, and flower stalls provide people what they need to pay respects to the Buddha. Inside the temple, you will see everything lit to its full glory. At the base of the Buddha itself, you will find many people paying their respects with candles, flowers, and incense sticks. It’s a magical experience where there are plenty of sights and smells and sounds to behold. There are occasional funfairs displaying lots of food, plenty of favourite Thai games and big stage performances. It’s always fun, noisy, and entertaining and will undoubtedly give you exciting opportunities to take some fun photos and insight into Thai life.

 

 

The large market at Wat Chalong extends into the grounds of the temple and features amplified pop music and Thai-fighting advertisements. The temple sells trinkets to visitors and the monks assist by storing boxes of items in their main prayer hall. On the temple side, a dozen small shops sell all kinds of souvenirs and tourist stuff. But, strangely, the shops selling religious items are outside the temple ground, next to the gate. The central temple is where most Thai people will make merit by offering lotus flowers and adding a small piece of gold paper to the monk’s statues inside.

 

 

The tallest building on the temple grounds is a 60 meters tall stupa (chedi) sheltering a bone fragment of Lord Buddha. Beautiful paintings retracing the most significant Buddha’s life steps decorate the walls and ceilings of the temple. Each floor is also full of large, donated golden statues. The chedi (stupa) of Chalong Temple is built on three floors, so feel free to climb to the top floor terrace to get a beautiful bird view of the entire temple grounds. A few more steps will lead you to a glass display where you can contemplate the fragment of bone. You can see the nearby Phuket Big Buddha from there, but you can see it from almost anywhere in the southern part of Phuket island.

 

Location: between Phuket town and Chalong

Address: 70/6 Chao Fah Tawan Tok Road, Chalong, Phuket 83130

Open Hours: 7:00 am to 5:00 pm (but you can walk around the temple grounds anytime)

Dress Code: No short skirts or short pants, no sleeveless Tee shirts

Entry Free: There is no entry fee

Official Name: Wat Chaithararam

 

Wat Chalong is easy to find on Chaofa Road, between Phuket Town and Chalong. Distance from Patong to the temple: 16 km, From Phuket International Airport: 37 km, From Phuket Town: 9 km, From Bangtao: 29 km and From the Big Buddha: 8 km