The Beach is named after the massive Buddha statue which straddles the breadth of the island of Koh Farn. The building of the statue was begun on the 27th of April 1972 and took over two years to complete
Over the years many pilgrims and tourists have come to visit the statue, which has now claimed worldwide notoriety and fame, and made generous donations to help the abbot build facilities for the monks and a teaching centre for under privileged Thai kids. The Big Buddha
On festival days such as Loiy Krathong and Song Khran (learn more about these festivals elsewhere on this site), the temple becomes the focus of the whole island with massive celebrations which include beauty pageants, live music, comedy, and lots of incredible foods sold in makeshift stalls and vehicles. The causeway was built to the Buddha's island sometime in the 80's and much of the land between the original island and the mainland has now been reclaimed. The last addition to the statue was tiered golden pagoda style umbrella which towered over the Buddha adding another couple of meters to its height but unfortunately, due to a design oversight, the umbrella collapsed in a sudden squall about a month after it was built. Luckily, no one was hurt. Apart from the temple itself there are many shops selling jewelry, cloths, food and other souvenirs, and one can spend some considerable time browsing around or just cooling off under one of the vast shady trees. Fortune telling, relics, and other blessings such as sai sin are also available and one can buy gold leaf to ornate one of the many minor Buddha images which are situated at the lower level of the Temple.
source:http://www.buddhabeach.com
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