Wat Mai Suwankiri

Wat Mai Suwankiri main temple building, Tumpat, Kelantan.

One of the most picturesque and elaborate buddhist temples in Kelantan and Malaysia. The site is in Kampung Bukit Tanah in the district of Tumpat, about 25 km from Kota Bharu. Wat Mai Suwankiri is famous for it's Dragon Boat temple.

Said to be built some 400 years ago by craftsmen from Thailand, the main temple and hall is a 3-storey building with twin roofs, and a standing buddha statue in between the roofs.

Side view of the main temple building.

Buddha statue on the roof of the 3-storey main building.

Dragon Boat Vihara (temple) at Wat Mai Suwankiri.

The Dragon Boat Vihara is an elaborate structure surrounded by water. Four nagas (dragons or serpents) protect the boat. The decoration and craftsmanship is intricate and detailed. Inside the vihara is a veneration of Pra Nak Prok buddha.

A veneration of Pra Nak Prok buddha inside the Dragon Boat vihara.

The mural on the sides of the ceiling inside the Dragon Boat depicts the life of buddha. The detailing is simply stunning.

Wat Mai Suwankiri album:-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidstella/sets/72157644946718876/

i am not a worm

i am not a worm.

A chicken forages for food among hundreds of turtles. I think these are American Slider turtles warming up in the morning sun. Thean Hou Temple grounds.

pra nakprok

Pra Nakprok inside Vihara Dragon Boat. Wat Mai Suwankiri, Tumpat, Kelantan.

Pra Nakprok, Buddha protected by Naga (Serpent) King. This statue is inside the Vihara Dragon Boat.  Wat Mai Suwankiri (Dragon Boat Temple), Tumpat, Kelantan. This is one of numerous and huge Thai temples in Kelantan, a muslim state.

joss sticks urn

Intricately detailed joss sticks urn at Tua Pek Kong Temple, Sibu Sarawak.

Tua Pek Kong Sibu. 22nd January 2012. Eve of Chinese New Year. This elaborate and tall brass urn is beautifully detailed. There are dragons embossed on the belly of the urn, with two of them forming the handles. The top is a Chinese pavilion with a two-layer roof, and little dragons perched at each corner. The four pillars of the pavilion are also intricately detailed.


The small joss sticks are lit and held in the hands during prayers in the temple, after which, they are placed standing in the sand filled urn and left to burn out. They are slightly fragrant.
Metal racks holding new pillar-like 'dragon' joss sticks are found on both sides of the urn. The urn is seated in front of a low decorated wall which also holds the large pillar joss sticks while they burn out. Beyond the wall is the Rejang River.


The smoke from these joss sticks are neither acrid nor irritating, emitting the fragrance of the materials used. All in all, there is a solemn ambience to these offerings to heaven.