Buddha Mountain (see photo below), also known as “Khao Chi Chan” and the “Laser Buddha” has become an increasingly popular destination on the Pattaya tourist trail since it was opened to commemorate His Majesty The King’s Golden Jubilee. Like many other sites of religious significance, including Wat Yansangwararam and Buddha Hill in Pattaya, there is no entry fee.
What is Buddha Mountain.
Buddha Mountain acquired it’s distinctive shape after being mined/quarried for stone during the Vietnam War, the stone was used on the construction of U’tapao Airport, and later for the construction of local roads. The face which was left on the mountain lent itself perfectly to the Buddha image, the image which you see (photo below) is the largest carved Buddha image in the world.
Adding Buddha to the mountain.
The Buddha image was formed on the side of the mountain to commemorate the King’s 50th year on the throne in 1996. It is quite hard to find any information as to how the image was carved in to the side of the mountain, some say it was carved out by laser in a matter of days, others say the laser was only used to cast a template of the Buddha for the Thai craftsmen who then carved the image with hammer and chisel. After the image of Buddha was carved in to the side of the mountain the gold was inlaid.
What’s at Buddha Mountain.
Besides the image of Buddha there are expansive gardens containing pavilions, a lotus pond and an altar where you buy offerings to Buddha, there is a large parking area and food and drink available on site or at food kiosks just across the road.
Tourist attractions close to Buddha Mountain.
If you are going to venture the 15 – 20 kilometres outside of Pattaya to see Buddha Mountain you may as well visit Wat Yansangwararam and Silver-lake Vineyard as well, you could easily visit them all in a morning or afternoon.
Getting to Pattaya’s Buddha Mountain.
Use the Pattaya Tourist Attractions Map (below) to find directions to Buddha Mountain and all the major tourist attractions in the Pattaya area.
View Pattaya Tourist Attractions in a larger map