The Pizzazzy

I promised to write a post about it. So here it is.

Wat Chalong is the biggest Buddhist temple in Phuket. The only one that allows visitors to take snaps everywhere in the temples, campus. As soon as we entered the temple premises a sense of calm and peacefulness enveloped us. I immediately got some shots of the temple buildings, there are four temples. We then entered the main temple.

I went inside and offered my prayers kneeling down and joining both my hands just as I would do in any Hindu temple. I noticed there were a few bamboo caskets and some wooden blocks. Others were shaking the bamboo casket and throwing out a bamboo stick which had a number printed on it. Then they also threw the two wooden blocks for a few times.

I just thought I will try the numbers, so I shook the casket to remove a number and asked Anand to do the same. Then around the corner on the wall there was a wooden cabinet which had some printed papers categorized by numbers. I instantly connected these with the numbers that we got and knew that this was some kind of forecast. So, I removed a paper for each of our numbers but they were in Thai and Chinese. Anyways I pocketed them thinking may be I’ll find some one knowing Thai. I could have tried the Hotel but we had checked out and we were already on our way to airport.

Once we came out of the temple building I saw a Thai lady standing outside. On impulse I walked up to her and asked her if she could read the papers. She said yes, and she read the papers of both the numbers. Sadly both the numbers were unlucky. Then she introduced herself and told us that she was the guide who took daily tours to Wat Chalong but that day was her off day. How lucky for us that even then we found her there, she explained that she came to show the temple to her friends.

She told us everything about the temple and also explained how to perform the prayers. Very interesting! She said that the two wooden blocks are for a yes no type of questions that you want God to answer. So first you pray then you take the two blocks in your palm close it, ask the question in your head and throw the blocks, till you get the blocks as one up and the other down. But this can be tried only for three times. If within this three chances you get the opposites then it’s a yes otherwise the answer is no.

She also told the correct way to shake out the lucky number and since we had got bad numbers she said that we can throw it or return them to the cabinet. Only good numbers should be carried home. Some people also tie the bad numbers on the huge tamarind tree and the tamarind are black color as it is taking all the evil from the bad numbers.

I am quite broad minded, and at the same time superstitious about some things. I simply believe that if it does not harm anyone then superstitions are okay.

After this we went to other buildings but since it was already 5 the buildings were closed. So if you are visiting Wat Chalong make it way before 5 p.m. And click lots of pictures which probably you will not get to do at most temples.