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  Buddha: " Whenever you see things, just see. Whenever you listen, just listen. Whenever you know, just know."Koh Samui - Big Buddha Statue and Monastery
Picture of the Big Buddha Statue (left) The Big Buddha Temple virtually takes up the whole of the two acres of Ko Phan Island. The island is situated just off Big Buddha Beach , Koh Samui. Originally the site was a cemetery for children under the age of seven that for local cultural reasons were not cremated in the usual Buddhist fashion.
The Big Buddha and the temple area is open, free of charge, to the general public, but please be aware that this is an important Buddhist site and due respect should be paid to the area. No smoking or loud noises in the area and when you have climbed the long stairway to the effigy of the Lord Buddha you should remove your shoes before leaving the top step.
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  Big Buddha Statue and Monastery |
The Big Buddha statue is a prominent landmark off the west side of
the northern tip of the Thai island, Koh Samui. The huge Big Buddha
statue is actually on a small island known as Ko Phan that is now joined
to Koh Samui by a permanent stone causeway.
In 1920 the then chief monk of the main temple in Chaweng, seeing
the quiet location of the island started to convert Ko Phan into a
monastery. He, the local people and his disciples managed to build
a base for a pagoda in about two months but the chief monk suddenly
died and the site fell into disrepair. 
Just over fifty years later the present chief monk, Phrakru Santinontakoon,
a local monk, started the construction of the Big Buddha statue in
1972 when he returned to Koh Samui after studying at the Buddhist University
in Bangkok from 1965. 
The reason the monastery is here today is to provide a quiet place
for meditation or worship for the local monks, Buddhists and anyone
else that is seeking enlightenment. 
The Big Buddha watches over Koh Samui and its people. The statue can
just be seen from as far away as Bo Phut Beach, with the naked eye, and
Maenam Beach with binoculars. Items annotated (TAT) |
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