| Buddhist Temples near Kota Bharu |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 16 November 2016 ) | |
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Outside the culture-rich and exciting Kota Bharu, capital of Kelantan, one will be surprised to know that there are several beautiful Buddhist temples to visit. This author was visiting Kota Bharu during Vesak day in 2006, and decided to visit some of these temples. For those that do not know, Vesak Day is a day to commemorate the birth, the enlightenment and the passing of Buddha. Wat Phothivihan About 15km from Kota Bharu, this temple houses what is claimed to be one of the longest reclining Buddha in the world. At 40m long, it is even longer than the reclining Buddha housed in the more famous Wat Chayamangkalaram in Penang. I was surprised that there weren't many people there on Vesak Day, as I was expecting some kind of larger scale celebration going on. Nevertheless, it was quite nice place to visit, away from the hustle and bustle in Kota Bharu. There are several other shrines in the temple's compound. There is also a canteen where one can quench one's thirst with some fresh coconut drink.  Reclining Buddha, Wat Phothivihan, Kelantan http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:105735032_f89f19c063_o.jpg Wat Kok Seraya About 4km eastwards from Wat Phothivihan, you will arrive at Wat Kok Seraya. There wasn't anybody around, and some of the buildings look run-down. However, the female buddha statue looks nice and well maintained. There's nothing much to do here.  Female Buddha Statue, Wat Kok Seraya  A building in Wat Kok Seraya Wat Pikulthong About 4km eastwards from Wat Kok Seraya, on the way to border town Tumpat, lies Wat Pikulthong. There are 2 impressive Buddha statues here. One is a gold mosaic standing Buddha statue, while the other is huge standing Buddha.  Entrance to Wat Pikulthong  Gold Mosaic Buddha statue at the foreground, and the huge standing Buddha statue at the background Here are the GPS coordinates: Wat Phothivihan: N 6° 07.801 E 102° 08.224 For more Malaysia travel information, visit our Travel directory |