Driving along Jalan Foochow of Kuching, one cannot fail to notice a beautiful Siamese temple by the roadside, gleaming proudly in the sun with intricate designed roofs and windows. This is the Wat Sa Thai, or the short form for Kuching Sa Thai Buddhist Association Temple. As the name implies, it is a Buddhist temple that follows the Siamese tradition of the religion.

The building consist of two floors, on the ground floor is minor worship area with a small altar of the lord Buddha, and beside it, an administrative office. The exterior of the building is a commanding spectacle of classic Thai temple design, steep inverted V-shaped roofs seem to be stacked on top of one another with pointed pinnacle topped by pointed mythical birds that look like herons. While the side windows on the temple walls are an elaborate carving of murals and painted in gold.

Two fierce looking statues stand guarding the front of the temple and the two staircases rise to merge into a final few steps reach to the entrance of the main worship hall on the first floor. The inside of this hall is spartan for there are no ornate and colourful drawings or murals like the Chinese temples of traditional gods and deities, the walls and columns are white washed and unadorn.

Instead, a giant gold statue of a sitting Buddha sits in a tranquil pose at the far end on a high altar. In front of this is another statue, smaller with an altar filled with worshippers’ offerings..

According to the secretary of the Kuching Sa Thai Buddhist Association, Mr. Then Tze Khin, the association was established in 1976 and its actual temple at the present site began in 1990. Only in 2008, a major million-ringgit renovation to convert the building into a proper looking Siamese temple was undertaken and was completed in December of the same year.

An interesting feature of this temple is that it has a separate section for devotees of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, complete with statue and all attendant arrangement. This is unique as normally Siamese temples do not incorporate such extension.

There is also the popular ”Four Faces Buddha” shrine on the front compound of the temple. Devotees pray to this god for four aspects of their lives namely: for success in business, for love, marriage and family, for riches and prosperity, and for health and offspring.

The temple has several resident monks and sometime prominent visiting monks from Thailand preside over worshipping. The most important date of Buddhism is the Wesak Day, or Lord Buddha’s birthday, in which the temple celebrate the occasion with fellow Buddhist religious bodies in the city. Another interesting ceremony is the Kathina Robes Ceremony in which monks are given new sets of saffron on completion of certain rituals, usually in October or November. Devotees partaking in this ceremony gain spiritual merits and is thus a auspicious affair. Visitors regardless of religious affiliations are warmly welcome to witness this special occasion.

Quick facts:-

Location: No.246B, Jalan Foochow No. 1, Kuching.

Prayer time: Evening of 1st and 15th of Lunar month

For more details call admin. office: 082-335397 (Ms Chua)

 

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