Thailand Travel Pages - Asarnha Bucha Day in Buddhamonthon Park, Bangkok

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Asarnha Bucha Day in Buddhamonthon Park:

During my travels I have been lucky enough to witness many beautiful Thai traditions, but one that particularly stands out in my mind is celebrating Asarnha Bucha Day or Asanha Puja Day in Buddhamonthon Park.

Asranha Bucha Day is a particularly sacred day in Buddhism as it is seen as celebrating the Lord Buddha, His teachings and His Disciples. It commemorates the day when the Lord Buddha, having achieved Enlightenment, gave his first sermon to his disciples. The Lord Buddha’s first sermon contained four great truths which have become the backbone of all Buddhist teachings. It is believed that following the four truths can lead you to Nirvana or Enlightenment. Asranha Day is also considered to be the first day of Buddhism because one of his followers, having listened to Buddha’s sermon realized the truths contained within and so became the first Buddhist monk.

The exact day of celebration is decided by the lunar calendar. Asarnha Day falls on the fifteenth day of the waxing moon of the eighth lunar month. It therefore falls on a different day each year. The Thai government established the national observance of Asarnha Bucha Day in 1958.

Approximately a year earlier in 1957, an important religious site known as Buddhamonthon or Phutthamonthon Park in Nakhon Pathom Province was built by the government to commemorate the 2500th year of the Buddha’s teachings. Accessible via Puttha-Monthon lV Road, the park is the largest sacred space in Thailand, occupying a thousand acres of beautiful landscaping.

In the centre of the park there stands a magnificent 15.87 meter tall statue of the Lord Buddha. The statue is surrounded by four commemorative sites depicting various stages in the Lord Buddha’s life, the Cycle of His Birth through to Enlightenment, the Lord Buddha’s first sermon and Nirvana.

During the festival of Asarnha Bucha many worshippers instead of visiting their local temple will visit Buddhamonthon Park in order to pay homage to the Lord Buddha. While I was there I was fortunate to witness the ‘Wien Tien’ ritual where my friends and other worshippers showed their respect by walking three times in a clockwise direction around the Buddha’s statue, carrying with them flowers, joss sticks and candles. Because the ritual takes place in the early evening, the candles create a magical light which beautifully represents the wonder of this very special occasion..

How to get there

You can drive to the park from Bangkok by taking Phetkasem Road, (turn right when you reach the 11 Kilometer marker into Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Road and keep going for another eight kilometers until you reach the park) alternatively you can drive along Pinklao Nakhon Chaisi Road to Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Road. There are many taxis available to take you direct to the park, or if you prefer, the buses numbered 170, 84, KO 539 and 547 will also take there.