HUNDREDS of Buddhists and tourists made the trip up to Phuket's Big Buddha on Visakha Bucha Day for a special ceremony.
The spectacular ceremony involved the blessing of the Big Buddha's forefinger, crafted in white jade, before it was raised by a crane and lifted high up to its rightful place.
Hundreds of people placed goldleaf on the finger before the prayers began at precisely 1.19pm. The belief is that the forefinger is a conduit for wealth and happiness.
The finger was carried three times around the base of the buddha before its ascent.
Visakha Bucha Day is the most important day of the Buddhist calendar, marking Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death.
Around the Big Buddha site now are piles of white jade tiles, each marked with the names of donors to the fund that is paying for erection of Thailand's largest sitting buddha.
It is anticipated that Phuket's Big Buddha, at 45 metres tall and on a 380-metre hill, will attract thousands of tourists on completion late this year or early in 2009.
A much shorter sitting buddha in Hong Kong attracts more than a million visitors each year.
Every day sees visitors stream up the hill to watch the construction work or pray with the monks who already live on the hilltop.
The views to both sides of the island are spectacular and the Big Buddha is already probably second only to the beaches and the coral reefs in terms of Phuket's top tourist attractions.
It's appeal remains consistent through the high and low seasons. Frequent visitors say the hilltop is a source of mee kwam suk, or happiness.
An increasing number of people now choose to be married there.
Traditional ceremonies also took place on May 19 at all of the island's wats.
The six-kilometre road up to the Big Buddha can be found about a kilometre down Chao Fa Road West from Chalong Circle.
The spectacular ceremony involved the blessing of the Big Buddha's forefinger, crafted in white jade, before it was raised by a crane and lifted high up to its rightful place.
Hundreds of people placed goldleaf on the finger before the prayers began at precisely 1.19pm. The belief is that the forefinger is a conduit for wealth and happiness.
The finger was carried three times around the base of the buddha before its ascent.
Visakha Bucha Day is the most important day of the Buddhist calendar, marking Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death.
Around the Big Buddha site now are piles of white jade tiles, each marked with the names of donors to the fund that is paying for erection of Thailand's largest sitting buddha.
It is anticipated that Phuket's Big Buddha, at 45 metres tall and on a 380-metre hill, will attract thousands of tourists on completion late this year or early in 2009.
A much shorter sitting buddha in Hong Kong attracts more than a million visitors each year.
Every day sees visitors stream up the hill to watch the construction work or pray with the monks who already live on the hilltop.
The views to both sides of the island are spectacular and the Big Buddha is already probably second only to the beaches and the coral reefs in terms of Phuket's top tourist attractions.
It's appeal remains consistent through the high and low seasons. Frequent visitors say the hilltop is a source of mee kwam suk, or happiness.
An increasing number of people now choose to be married there.
Traditional ceremonies also took place on May 19 at all of the island's wats.
The six-kilometre road up to the Big Buddha can be found about a kilometre down Chao Fa Road West from Chalong Circle.
