Photograph by Amanda Mustard, National Geographic
Yet it’s hard to imagine that Por and his fellow monks aren’t at the very least overwhelmed by the estimated 8,000 visitors the temple is thought to receive on an average weekday. The parking lot that can now accommodate as many as 6,000 cars, and the ceaseless expansion of the temple grounds leaves much of Wat Chedi feeling like a vast construction site.
Despite the boomtown feel, this isn’t the first time that Nakhon Si Thammarat has found itself in Thailand’s spiritual spotlight. Hinduism is thought to have reached the area as early as the 5th century. By the middle of the 13th century, Nakhon Si Thammarat was an important centre for the spread of Theravada Buddhism to the rest of Thailand. In 2007, another temple in the province was the epicentre of a craze revolving around amulets known as Jatukham Ramathep.
Difficult roads ahead
Difficult roads ahead
It ll be up to Thai citizens to rescue its struggling tourism sector in 2021 as a prolonged pandemic is expected to depress international arrivals
published : 31 Dec 2020 at 08:36
13 Visitors travel to the top of Khao Chang Pheuk hill in Thong Pha Phum National Park in Kanchanaburi to see the sunrise. Domestic tourists will play a crucial role in a rebound of the tourism industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: PIYARACH CHONGCHAROEN
Thailand expects to face a long drought period in the international tourism market from now until the first half of next year, according to the Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.