The Thai Buddhist Hall is located at the foot of the mountain opposite Huiru Park on Dongshan Road, with the inscription ‘Kaiyuan Temple Thai Buddhist Hall’ on its lintel. Thai temples are renowned as museums of Thai art. This building, modeled after the Yunshi Temple in Thailand and constructed in the famous city of Chaozhou, is rich in Thai characteristics. It features a multi-eave, multifaceted roof with fish-scale tiles, an upward yellow pattern on the eaves board, and column heads with upturned corners symbolizing the auspicious dragon and phoenix.
The decorations on the gable walls and the pointed shapes of doors and windows concentrate the plastic arts of ancient Thailand, fully reflecting the majestic and exquisite exotic charm. For Chaozhou locals, it offers a chance to experience foreign culture without leaving the country; for overseas Chaozhou people residing in Thailand, it holds a special interest.The main hall enshrines a Thai-style Sakyamuni Buddha, known as the Qingla Buddha, with a pointed hairdo and spiral flame attire, significantly different from the Han Chinese-style Sakyamuni Buddha at Kaiyuan Temple. This 3-meter tall, 1.5-ton bronze Buddha statue, covered in gold foil, is referred to as the Golden Buddha. The walls are adorned with paintings depicting ‘The Story of Buddha,’ primarily illustrating the birth, enlightenment, and nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha.
On the east side stands the Four-Faced Buddha. In Thailand, the Four-Faced Buddha is considered a god, not a Buddha, and is one of the three major deities of ancient Brahmanism, known as Brahma, meaning ‘Great Brahma.’ Thai Chinese commonly refer to it as the ‘Four-Faced Buddha.’ ‘Great Brahma’ signifies the creator of the five elements of the world, originally with five heads, one of which was said to have been destroyed by Shiva. The remaining four heads face the four cardinal directions, and the four hands hold the Vedas, lotus, spoon, and rosary or bowl. When offering incense to the Four-Faced Buddha, one should light incense in all four directions and worship clockwise. The Four-Faced Buddha represents compassion (benevolence), empathy (sympathy), joy (auspiciousness), and generosity (charity).
On the hillside of the Thai Buddhist Hall, there are structures such as the ‘River-Viewing Tower,’ ‘Continental Pavilion,’ and ‘Pagoda,’ with a bell and a drum hanging on each of the two small hills to the east and west. The entire site is open year-round from 08:30 to 16:30, with specific business hours subject to daily conditions.
