One of the oldest and largest temple complexes on Phuket, Wat Phra Thong was named by King Rama VI when he visited the temple in 1909. According to legend, a boy was plowing a field when he struck a post, got stuck, and mysteriously died.
The boy’s father and the men of the village then attempted to remove it, and in trying to dig up the post unearthed a Buddha statue, which they were only able to reveal half of. Over the years, many tried to finish excavating the Buddha, but all mysteriously fell ill, or were attacked by ants and wasps, so the Buddha was left as it was and a temple built around it. Today, the mystical Buddha is fenced off for visitors’ safety. Scattered throughout the temple are several other gold-plated Buddha statues, all well worn by countless Chinese-Thai faithful who flock to the temple.
