Entries about shrine

The City Pillar Shrine in Surat Thani, Thailand is a sacred shrine that houses the city’s revered city pillar, which is believed to be the protector of the city and its people. The shrine is located in the heart of the city, near the Tapi River, and is considered an important spiritual and cultural landmark in Surat Thani.

The City Pillar Shrine consists of a central structure, which houses the city pillar, as well as several smaller shrines and prayer halls. Visitors can enter the central shrine to pay their respects to the city pillar and offer prayers and offerings.

The city pillar itself is a wooden post that is believed to embody the spirit of the city and its people. It is decorated with intricate carvings and engravings, and is considered a symbol of the city’s history, culture, and identity.

Throughout the year, the City Pillar Shrine hosts various festivals and ceremonies, including the annual City Pillar Festival, which celebrates the city’s founding and heritage. During these events, the shrine is adorned with colorful decorations and offerings, and visitors can participate in traditional Thai cultural activities, such as music and dance performances, parades, and food fairs.

Overall, the City Pillar Shrine is an important and sacred site in Surat Thani that offers visitors a unique insight into the spiritual and cultural traditions of the city and its people.

During my visit to Surat Thani recently I stopped by one of the most stunning City Pillar shrines I have ever seen.
It is located near the Tapee River which runs alongside the road that separates it from the busy road, and you can get a good look at the suspension bridge from by the gates.

This city pillar is made from wood of the Golden Shower Tree (CasiaFitsula). (it actually looks like white marble). The top of the pillar is carved into a 4-faced Avalo kite. Vara Bodhisattva looking in the 4 directions.

This is a common style of the city pillars around Thailand. On the large hair curls, there is a Buddha image in the attitude of meditation, which is considered as the guardian of the direction, according to Srivijaya’s belief. Moreover, wood carving of this pillar shows delicate floral motifs in Srivijaya style.

A well-kept shrine which is considered by many to be the symbol of the city, the City Pillar Shrine or San Lak Muang is located in the heart of the city. Standing near the Tapee River, this shrine is lit up colourfully at night and is a great spot to spend some time in the city.

Thankfully not everything was closed or locked down over December 2020, here in Phuket.
I was able to get around and spend some time visiting some of the places I had promised myself to go.

Here The Tha Rua Shrine, which cannot be missed as any traveller arriving or departing Phuket will pass it on the way out or to Phuket Airport.
Along side a busy road, this Temple has caught my eye so many times, i was so glad i stopped to give it a look. I was not disappointed!

One of Phuket's largest and most elaborate Chinese temples, the Tha Rua Shrine is also one of the most colourful, adorned with numerous brightly painted statues of dragons and deities.
The Tha Rua shrine is one of the oldest Taoist foundations on Phuket, although the site has been greatly expanded and the present building dates from 2002.

Located in the Thalang district, north of Phuket Town, the Tha Rua Shrine is an easy excursion for those visiting the island. It's certainly an unmissable and arresting sight, with its bright gold, red and green colour scheme and its outsized statues of mythical creatures and Taoist divinities.

Visitors are greeted at the entrance by a pair of multicoloured Chinese dragons, while inside devotees burn incense and offer prayers in front of statues of Quan Yin, the goddess of mercy, and altars covered in statuettes of various gods.

The Tha Rua Shrine is a popular and busy temple and visitors are welcome to explore the complex throughout the day. To avoid the crowds, it's best to visit in the early morning.

It's a great place to take photographs, too. Statues, traditional Chinese paintings and carvings fill the interior and cover the façade, while outside stands a giant statue of Guan Yu, a revered Chinese general from the second century AD who was deified after his death.

Chinese style temples in Thailand are and can be called ;
Sanjao, San Chao, or ( ศาลเจ้า ).

They may belong to the community, perhaps donated by wealthy benefactors, or to private foundations of a pious and charitable character. Even when private property, they are normally open to the public on daytime. Their name is normally preceded by the title Sanjao ( ศาลเจ้า ), meaning shrine or spirit house. It is the same name given to miniature spirit houses Thai people love to keep in their gardens or homes.

They consist of at least one small building hosting the main shrine. Often they include also one external shrine in the form of a concrete table, and an external incinerator in the shape of a small tower. More rarely, one or more additional buildings with accessory shrines and votive objects, including holy rolls, and a votive pole. When located inside internal courts, they are marked by one or more decorated portals on the main street. All those additional parts are normally decorated following the same pattern for each temple.

For this particular shrine the History is as below, I would like to add that they have actually built an extension , a massive meeting and event hall, which appear in the last frames of this slide show.

Info
Around 1890 in the area that the shrine stands today was a inlet from the nearby sea. One day a Chinese man came ashore in a Junk bringing with him an image of the Emperor Guan Yu. The man built a small house and was seen to pay respects to the image of Emperor Guan Yu. After some time the Chinese man disappeared and the local villagers saw that he had left behind the image of Emperor Guan Yu. The villagers continued to worship the image and eventually gathered together enough money to build a better shrine.

Guan Yu or Kuan Yuis also known as Kuan Ti and is often referred to as the God of War due to his military successes however he is revered for his loyality and justice and is worshipped as a guardian deity.