ไทย
Wat Phra Nang Sang is a monastery affiliated with the Mahanikaya sect, located in Tambon Thepkrasattri, Thalang District, Phuket Province. The temple grounds cover an area of 19 rai 1 ngan 79 square wah. There are 8 monk’s quarters covering an area of 84 rai 1 ngan 21 square wah.
Wat Phra Nang Sang was established in the year 2301 B.E. (1758 C.E.) according to the legend of the White-Blooded Princess. The story goes that the consort of a king from an unidentified city was accused of being unfaithful to the king with a courtier, and she was ordered to be executed. Before the day of the execution, the princess sought clemency to pay respects to the sacred relics in Sri Lanka.
Upon her return, she visited Thalang Island, where she built a temple, planted sacred Burmese Rosewood and Iron wood trees, and enshrined valuable Buddhist artifacts in a stupa. The temple was then named ‘Wat Phra Nang Sang,’ and locally it is often referred to as ‘Wat Nang Sang.’ The temple was granted royal sponsorship on November 22, 2531 (B.E.).
The significant assembly hall features a spacious ordination hall measuring 9.50 meters in width and 17.50 meters in length. The original ordination hall was constructed using bricks and white plaster and has undergone multiple renovations.
Subsequently, a new ordination hall was built, incorporating both Thai and Chinese artistic elements. The outer walls are painted pink and blue, with the balcony adorned with golden mythical creatures.
Above the balcony, there are lotus petals facing downwards and upwards, with five Nagas gracefully positioned on the petals. The front entrance door to the balcony is designed with an image of Buddha in the food offering post. Above the door lintel, there is a relief of three golden elephants.
Inside the balcony, each pillar is sculpted into a golden dragon coiling around it. Outside the ordination hall, there is a pavilion with a width of 16 meters and a length of 24 meters, constructed in the year 2512 BE. There are three kutis (monk’s houses), consisting of both concrete and wooden structures. The complex includes a sermon hall, a bell tower, and a library.
The important sacred objects include three Buddha images in meditation posture, covered with white plaster on the outside. Each of the three Buddha images has a wide aureole measuring 3 meters.
Inside the aureoles, the Buddha images are made of a metal alloy and are over 1300 years old. This was done to conceal their true nature, and the temple only became aware of this information in the year 2526 BE. Behind the Buddha images, there is a laying Buddha measuring 3.50 meters long. It is said that there is a golden Buddha image inside the laying Buddha, but this claim has yet to be verified.
