Wat Buppharam

Wat Buppharam is a Thai Buddhist temple at the Pulau Tikus suburb in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Situated at Jalan Perak, the temple was founded in 1942 and is now home to a renowned statue of the Buddha, known as the 'Lifting Buddha'.

As one of the handful of Siamese temples within George Town, it also serves as a focal point for the annual Songkran and Loi Krathong celebrations within the city. In addition, the temple also participates in George Town's yearly Vesak Day procession.

History

Wat Buppharam was established in 1942 by Phothan Srikheaw, a Thai monk who also became the temple's first abbot. The name, Wat Buppharam (Thai: วัดบุปผาราม), means 'flower temple' and is shared by several other Buddhist temples in northern Malaysia and Thailand.

Description

Although founded as a Theravada Buddhist temple, Wat Buppharam houses statues of a few Hindu and Taoist deities as well, such as Ganesha and Guan Yin. Furthermore, the temple's layout is steeped in Thai tradition. It consists of the main chedi which is linked to a viharn, a mondop and a monk ordination hall flanked by a pair of Nāgas.

The temple is renowned for a century-old Buddha statue nicknamed the 'Lifting Buddha'. Urban legend has it that the statue contains the ability to predict whether a devotee's wishes can be fulfilled. If the statue can be lifted the first time the devotee concentrates on his or her wishes, and subsequently becomes too heavy to lift the second time, then the devotee's wish is indeed attainable.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Buppharam,_Penang