Phra Phutthasihing Shrine

Ho Phra Phutthasihing sits on Wachirapakan Road in Bang Pla Soi, the historic center of Chonburi town, holding a Phra Phutthasihing Buddha image cast in pure silver to the exact dimensions of the original. It’s free to enter, open daily from 08:00 to 17:00, and is considered one of Chonburi province’s most sacred civic landmarks even though the image itself is a 20th-century replica rather than an antique original.

The silver image was cast in 1960 (BE 2503), and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) presided over the hall’s formal opening ceremony alongside Queen Sirikit on 8 January 1966. That royal opening cemented its status locally — Chonburi residents regard the hall as a protective symbol of the province, on a level with a city pillar shrine, even though the Buddha image inside is a faithful copy rather than a centuries-old artifact.

Unlike a working Buddhist temple, Ho Phra Phutthasihing has no ordination hall and no resident monks. It functions as a standalone civic shrine, maintained for public worship rather than monastic life. Community ceremonies center on it throughout the year — candle-lit processions, Loy Krathong merit-making, and morning alms-giving all take place at the hall. The biggest event is Songkran, when the image is carried through Chonburi town so residents can pour water over it for blessings, a public procession rather than a private temple rite.

The original Phra Phutthasihing is enshrined at the Buddhaisawan Chapel in Bangkok’s National Museum. Two further images, each with their own long-standing claims to being the “true” original, are venerated at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai and at the city hall shrine in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Chonburi’s silver replica doesn’t compete with that three-way rivalry — it’s an openly acknowledged 1960 copy — but it draws the same depth of local devotion regardless.

The hall sits in the middle of Chonburi town, an easy walk from the clock tower and city hall, and pairs naturally with a stop at Wat Yai Inthraram, the province’s most important working temple, a short distance away in the same Bang Pla Soi district. Ho Phra Phanatbodi, a similar Buddha-image hall in Phanat Nikhom district, makes an interesting comparison elsewhere in the province.

Insider Tip: Visit around Songkran (13-15 April) if you want to see the image paraded through town — outside that week, mornings are quiet enough for an unhurried look at the silverwork up close.

Watch out: Dress modestly — covered shoulders and knees — even though this is a civic hall rather than an active monastery; the same etiquette applies as at any Buddha-image site.