Lewis pays a visit to a Chinese Temple in Koh Phagnan

Lewis the Lion had one last treat before he left the island of Koh Phangan; he was going to visit the Chinese Temple, otherwise known as The Kuan Yin Shrine of Koh Phangan.

Striking the bell with a golden dragon

Striking the bell with a golden dragon

The temple which is high up in the mountains heading towards the Chaloklum Village, stands overlooking the Chaloklum Bay. Lewis the Lion thought that the view was splendid and the first thing he did as he approached a beautifully decorated pagoda was to strike the bell three times with a wooden dragon.

Lewis the Lion stands on the steps of a Chinese Temple

Lewis the Lion stands on the steps of a Chinese Temple

He heard that the temple had been built for the local Chinese community in 1992 thanks to a lady, Mrs Malawan. She had had a vivid dream one night where the goddess, Kuan Yin told her that a lighthouse needed to be built for the fishermen who struggled to return home in the dark to the island.

Lewis the Lion at the entrance of the temple

Lewis the Lion at the entrance of the temple

She therefore told a monk about her dream who then took her to this place on the island of Koh Phangan: it was the place she had seen in her dream. When word spread of her strange dream lots of donations came flooding in to the point where they had more money than to just build a lighthouse. It was therefore decided that they would build a temple too and Lewis the Lion thought that it was a very beautiful temple indeed, set in a truly peaceful and idyllic location looking out to sea.

Lewis sees Sinead shaking up the prayer sticks

Lewis sees Sinead shaking up the prayer sticks

Lewis the Lion’s tour guide encouraged the friends to take off their shoes before entering the temple and then showed them some of the ways in which the Chinese community would typically pray. First of all, there was a container with lots of wooden prayer sticks. The idea is that you shake the container until one comes loose.

Matching the prayer stick to the prayer

Matching the prayer stick to the prayer

When you have got that one stick, you then match up the markings with one of the prayers on the temple wall. The prayers reflected all sorts of things, such as thanksgiving and gratitude, to praying for those suffering in the world.

Lewis the Lion loves the colourful entrance to the Chinese Temple

Lewis the Lion loves the colourful entrance to the Chinese Temple

Lewis the Lion loves the Chinese style architecture

Lewis the Lion loves the Chinese style architecture

A Chinese dragon decorates the roof

A Chinese dragon decorates the roof

A golden Buddha smiles out at the world

A golden Buddha smiles out at the world

After Lewis the Lion had wandered around the temple admiring the architecture, the guide took them to a different altar where there were two golden Buddhas, one big and one small. He told the friends that they had to rub the belly of the big Buddha and then with the other hand, whisper a desire into the ear of the smaller Buddha.

Rub one buddha's belly and whisper in the other buddha's ear

Rub one buddha’s belly and whisper in the other buddha’s ear

Lewis the Lion thought that his visit to the temple was very peaceful and he could see why a visit here would bring hope to many people’s lives. The goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin, to whom this temple is dedicated has the Chinese values of being loving, kind and compassionate. Lewis the Lion thought that they are great values for us all to aspire to.

If you were to write a special prayer for the world, what would you pray for and why?

About Helen Molloy

Helen Molloy has been a Primary Learning and Teaching Consultant, leading on the introduction of Primary Languages in the City of Stoke-on-Trent for the past 5 and a half years. She is passionate about language learning and inspiring children into developing a curiosity and awareness of other people's languages and cultures.
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