During my travels around Thailand I certainly get to see some strange things in the temples. Everything from a six-toed Buddha to a pregnant Buddha. I even saw a Reclining Buddha where you could go inside to see the heart! The other day I was in Pathum Thani Province which is just north of Bangkok. There is a temple there called Wat Chedi Hoi which can be found in Amphoe Lat Lum Kaeo. A strange feature of this temple is the chedi which has been made with the thousands of giant oyster shells!

Apparently, a great quantity of these prehistoric shells were dug up and the local abbot decided to put them to good use by building a chedi. Actually, he built three but the one pictured here is the biggest. In the picture with the cat you can see how big these oyster shells are. Each one weighs at least one kilo! Another interesting artifact they dug up was a giant iron anchor which probably dates back to the Ayutthaya Period. What is strange is that the Chao Phraya River is over 16 kms away! This just shows you how much the course of the river has changed over the years. They say that two hundred years ago, the tidal waters from the Gulf of Thailand could be witnessed all the way up river in Ayutthaya.

Comments (1)

You make my day
written by Marilyn Meow, 2008-08-07 16:37:55

I have been looking for this temple for more than 8 years. no one knows where it is.