A few months ago, when MJ started her travels, she posted a picture of a statue at a temple in Thailand.
I had no particular interest in the temple or anything else about what she was talking about, but I attached myself to this statue because, for a guardian statue, he appeared to be asleep.
From my estimation the only dangerous or threatening thing about this little guy was his stick, or whatever that thing he is leaning on is. So, I named him ‘Sticky’ and it became one of my Thailand bucket list items to meet Sticky.
Yeah! Today I met Sticky at Wat Pha Lat!
The construction date of Wat Pha Lat is not known, but the temple name appeared during the time of King Kue Na when he rode his elephant to bring the relics of the Buddha from Sukhothai to be enshrined at What Phra That Doi Suthep and stopped at Pha Lat for a rest.
The stupa is a Bagan-style round stupa, surrounded by a circumambulatory or Pradakshina path.
Word lesson: Pradakshina is from Sanskrit, and literally means “To the right.” The path is around a sacred object, or structure, and people walk around it in a clockwise direction.
So a path taken as a form of meditation around a sacred thing. But you must go right, because going left unleashes demons and all kinds of bad things. I made the last part up, but it sounded good, right?
The Buddha image is in a niche on the south side and Stucco lions and deities reside at the corners of the base.
There is also a lovely waterfall, a set of stairs up and down the mountain I did not take, and of course, Sticky. Go to photo page to adore Sitcky.
People would not move for waterfall pic, so I cropped them out. It is what it is.
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