Wat Hat Yai Nai, Hat Yai

This temple house the 3rd largest reclining buddha in Thailand. It is the largest in southern Thailand. To be honest, if you have been to Wat Pho in Bangkok, you might get disappointed here. Wat Hat Yai Nai is a temple without walls. The temple that house the reclining buddha is like a huge pavilion with pillars and traditional thai roof. Nothing much to get excited about.

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Wat Hatyai Nai is the site of a large reclining Buddha measuring 35 metres long, 15 metres tall and 10 metres wide... Named Phra Phuttha Mongkhon, it is the third largest reclining Buddha in the world...

Go around behind and inside the large reclining Buddha there is a curious shrine and mausoleum. Around the walls inside are hundreds of cubbie holes. Each one of the cubbie holes contains the ashes of a deseased person. Some have photos of the occupant and other details such as the date of birth and death.

Inside the mausoleum there is a fortune telling device. Inserting a coin (5 or 10 Baht) causes the wheel to spin round. When it stops spinning the pointer will stop on a number. On either side of the machine are numbered shelves with fortunes inside written on pieces of paper. Take one that corresponds to your number for a highly accurate summary of the rest of your life.

At the place described in the above tip there is a weird Asian fortune telling device. Inserting a coin (5 or 10 Baht) causes the wheel to spin round. When it stops spinning the pointer will stop on a number. On either side of the machine are numbered shelves with fortunes inside written on pieces of paper. Take one that corresponds to your number for a highly accurate summary of the rest of your life.

Underneath the temple with the large reclining Buddha is a curious shrine and mausoleum. Around the walls inside are hundreds of cubbie holes. Each one of the cubbie holes contains the ashes of a deseased person. Some have photos of the occupant and other details such as the date of birth and death.

Just outside of town (to the west) is a temple with a large reclining Buddha. If you haven't seen a large reclining Buddha before it may be of interest but if you've been to Wat Po in Bangkok you won't be impressed.

To get there, a motorbike taxi from Hat Yai should cost around 20 Baht but if you are a farang expect to be quoted way in excess of this, as usual.

There is a strange little shrine/mausoleum type place under the Buddha - see next tip.