Kedah Sightseeing | Sik | Wat Kalai


Sitting majestically in a meditation pose against the blue sky, is the 70 feet tall Buddha statue of the 200-year-old Siamese temple, Wat Kalai in Jeneri, Sik. It is the biggest stone and clay painted Buddha statue in Kedah state, sitting on a decorated lotus plinth base and was built in 1984. The four concrete walls of the base are crafted and rich with details of 64 smaller statues. This architectural marvel of the solid sculpture is located in Kampung Kalai (Kalai Village) and is about 50 km from Sungai Petani town. The village name "Kalai" came from a story that once upon a time, there was an old man walking along the river saw a pot dumped in the stream and vanished on the next day as it was swept away by strong current. It is said to have been derived from Thai words , which "Ka" means "pot" , while "lai" means "swept away". Hence "Kalai" in full means "Swept Away Pot". The temple is frequently visited by devotees and visitors who offer prayers and seek blessings. It is a popular place of congregation for devotees on special Thai occasions, festivals and prayers. On the right, the picture of the place where mummified remains of the chief monk Prak Nikcrodthamadtada, the founder of Wat Kalai is kept. Loi Krathong the famous Thai festival (or "The festival of Lights") is celebrated there every year on the Full-Moon Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month. "Loy" means "to float" and a "Krathong" is a lotus-shaped vessel made of banana leaves. The Krathong usually contains a candle, three joss-sticks, some flowers and coins. The festival usually starts in the evening when there is a full moon in the sky. People of all walks of life carry their Krathongs to river at the back of the temple. After lighting candles and joss-sticks and making a wish, they gently release the Krathongs on the water and let them drift away till they go out of sight. “The act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one's grudges, anger and defilements, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot. In the olden days, Thai people used to cut their fingernails and hair, floating away the clippings on the raft too, as a symbol of the bad parts of oneself one was letting go of. Many Thai believe that floating a krathong will create good luck, and they do it to honor and thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha. Visitor Information Wat Kalai Chief Abbot: No Info Address: Kg. Kalai, Mk. Jeneri, Jeniang, 08700 Gurun, Kedah Telephone: 04-4644243

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