Hell temples are almost always by definition creepy. Some are creepier than others, of course, and this took the cake in my wife’s mind. Presenting Wat Tha Meru (also spelled Wat Thamen, Wat Thamain, and Wat Thamen).
If this is the first hell temple post you’ve come across on Worthy Go, bear in mind it’s NSFW and shows graphic representations of what happens in Buddhist afterlife. For more places like this, see the hell temple category .
Clearly he’s been waiting to give us a tour for a long time. Like most Buddhist hell temples / ‘hell gardens’, there’s very little in English. These sort of places rarely see foreign tourists, so it’s to be expected.
The two tall white figures are preta, or ‘hungry ghosts’. They’re the largest examples around of suffering as a result of one’s deeds. Their sin? Transgressing against Buddhism’s five sacred precepts and plunging into four causes of misfortune (in essence, women, drinking, gambling, and immoral behavior). Their punishment? Insatiable hunger, yet food might turn to ash in their mouth. We’re getting into the sort of territory where each culture has a different interpretation on what happens in the spirit realm.
One common scene in most hell temples: the ‘Death King’, Phya Yom, is in the center. According to the Traiphuum Phra Ruang, the newly-dead will go to meet our friend here. Your good deeds are inscribed on a gold plate seen to the left, while your bad deeds are scratched into a piece of dog skin / dog leather on the right. Phya Yom announces your fate after looking at these lists.
I’ll have to come back to confirm this, but I believe this is meant to show one of the temptations to avoid (don’t get caught up in the modern world of music or dance).
While there are plenty of indignities here, being forced to carry one’s own head seems pretty high up there.
Ee-yikes. I’m pretty sure Alien is not in the Buddhist canons or legends.
We now turn to the more pleasant side of the Buddhist afterlife — thinking about the heavenly realm:
Hello there =) An entire row of statues has been carefully created and painted to show the results of a life well-lived.
Love the very modern-looking electric guitar vs. the more traditional stringed instrument of the Buddha’s time.
The third column of statues shows some stories from the Buddha’s life — avoiding temptation while meditating, along with a few other iconic scenes. How many men could resist a green-haired woman, anyway?
The final column of statues (not pictured here) were about the life cycle of people — without realizing it we ended up walking it backwards, which probably did not facilitate understanding. Statues of farmers working fields and going to school — they’re fine, just not all that weird.
As we approach the entrance / exit, I look back at this guardian and am thankful Buddhist hell is a place I’ll never end up in real life. The moral in all of this is probably stated somewhere in the Thai, but it boils down to making merit, doing good, being compassionate, and so on. Not a bad way to live.
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Name: Wat Tha Meru (AKA Wat Thamain, Wat Tha Men, and วัดท่าเมรุ)
Address: 82 Ban Tha Meru, Moo 5 ,Tambon Bang Klam, Hat Yai District , Songkhla Province 90110 (82 บ้านท่าเมรุ หมู่ 5 ต.บางกล่ำ อำเภอหาดใหญ่ จังหวัดสงขลา 90110 — GPS: 7.132145, 100.450164)
Directions: If coming from Hat Yai (19km north): head north on Lopburi Ramesuan road, then turn right onto route 414 for about 1.8km. Head left and go for 7.7km. Look for a left just before a T, then head right at the next T. Keep going for 1.6km, then take a left, cross the river, then turn right at the four-way intersection. Go 1km, then turn right and look right for the temple.
If coming from Songkhla (37km west), take route 407 west out of town. This road will eventually become route 414, so stay straight on it instead of veering left onto route 407. From the airport, it’s about 28km — look for some signs in Thai promoting a temple, then look for the U-turn. Make the U-turn, then head back the other way and turn left down the side road. Go 650 meters and turn right at the four-way intersection, then go a little over 8km. Look for a right turn — if you hit a T, turn back about 500 meters and try again. After making the turn, go about 500 meters to the T and turn right again. Go 1 km and take a left, then go about 1.8km, crossing the river and taking the left fork along the way. Head to the four-way intersection and take a right, then go 1km and take a right. Go 100 meters and look right for the temple — the road essentially dead-ends there.
Hours: dawn to dusk
Admission: free
Phone: none
Website: none
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