We hired a taxi directly from the airport to take us to the park and then bring us back to town after we were finished exploring. The driver took us up to the peak of one of the park's big hills - up a super steep and winding road - where views of Hat Yai stretched out in front of us as far as our eyes could see. It was a beautiful clear day, the sun was shining, and the sky was a cheerful blue.
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| standing Buddha at the peak of the hill |
There's a tall golden Buddha statue on top of the hill. It's the tallest standing Buddha in southern Thailand!
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| a panoramic view from the park |
Just outside of the standing Buddha shrine sits the station of the Hat Yai City Cable Car.
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| cable car station |
The cable car is one of Hat Yai's biggest attractions, but as it was a Monday morning, and as tourism is still nonexistent due to the global pandemic, there was nobody else waiting to ride the cable car that day.
The cable car, which stretches 535 meters between two of the park's tallest hills, is the only cable car in Thailand! The two cars move slowly back and forth high above the dense verdant forest far below.
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| riding the cable car between the two hills |
Other fun cable cars in Asia:
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| great views! |
The views were great! It was my very first time in Hat Yai, and from the cable car, I could see across most of Songkhla Province.
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| the ride was high and a little bit scary |
The ride was a lot of fun! I'm not afraid of heights, but I do have to say that my comfort with heights was tempered a little bit by the degree to which I trust Thai engineering...
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| looking back towards the cable car station |
However, not to worry! The cable car is well-maintained and perfectly safe, and we had reached the other side in no time.
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| cable car, Big Buddha, and the city in the distance |
The cable car stopped at the station on the opposite side of the park, at another peak not accessible by car.
A shrine took up most of the small hilltop. There were few visitors, but incense smoke filled the air with the fragrant scent of worship.
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| hilltop temple |
The shrine compound, called Thao Mahaprom, is built around one central shrine to Brahma, the Hindu creator god who holds a place of high honor in Thai Buddhism.
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| a shrine to Brahma |
Brahma is depicted with many faces - traditionally one facing each of the four cardinal directions - and thus this shrine is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Four Face Buddha".
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| incense at the Brahma Shrine |
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| Brahma statues with elephants and offerings |
Even though Thailand is 95% Buddhist, and even though there were several monks meditating at the shrine, it's interesting that there was not a single Buddha statue at the shrine!
The Brahma Shrine was encircled by a ring of yellow elephants, each bearing the name of a family or company. These were in commemoration of donations made at the shrine, and a way to memorialize its patrons and supporters.
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a monk in walking meditation at the temple
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| elephants encircling the shrine |
Brahma isn't the only god honored at this hilltop shrine, though. If you make a donation to the upkeep of the shrine, you are given a bundle of incense and a marigold garland. This is for making merit - praying for the accumulation of good karma - by giving offerings at several shrines on the top of the hill.
There's a shrine to Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god of luck, remover of obstacles, and patron of wisdom.
Ganesha is almost always depicted with his mouse in attendance.
Next, there was a shrine of Shiva, the destroyer in the Hindu trinity. In this context, destruction is not a bad thing. The Hindu trinity depicts a cycle - creation, preservation, and destruction - which is constantly restarting and continuously repeating.
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| Shiva Shrine |
Another shrine was dedicated to the goddess of destruction, Kali. Kali is not so popular in Thailand, and it's rare to see shrines dedicated to her. Like Shiva the destroyer, Kali isn't evil or bad, however she is sometimes depicted as ferocious and scary.
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| Kali Shrine |
A large statue off to one side depicted Erawan, the mythological three-headed elephant! Erawan is popular in Thailand, with
a national park, a
hotel,
and even a fantastical museum dedicated to him.
You'll even see Erawan on one of my arms grants. |
| Erawan, the three-headed elephant |
Yet another statue depicts Garuda, the half bird - half man of Hindu mythology. Garuda is also shown on the
Emblem of Thailand, appearing on official documents and government buildings.
Garuda stood next to a statue of an elephant decorated in marigold garlands. The elephant is the national animal of Thailand, and it seemed fitting to have these two standing near each other.
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| temple bells and scenic views |
After we explored the shrine at the top of the hill, we took the cable car back down to the Big Buddha, which we could see in the distance looking out over Hat Yai City.
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| arriving at the second peak |
It wasn't time to leave the park yet, though! The Big Buddha and the hilltop shrine aren't the only attractions at Hat Yai Municipal Park.
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| Chinese-style gate with views of the city |
There's also a Chinese-style shrine complex dedicated to the Chinese goddess Guanyin, the goddess of mercy. Outside the shrine hall stood a towering statue of the red-faced Guan Yu, the Chinese god of justice.
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| Guan Yu, the god of justice |
The outside of the shrine hall was decorated with super cool phoenix supporters on the columns, and the interior was echoed with dragons wrapped around the pillars.
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| Chinese temple |
In Chinese mythology, the dragon is Yang to the phoenix's Yin. Put another way, the dragon historically represented the Emperor, while the phoenix represented the Empress. Together, they are a symbol of both harmony and power.
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| Guanyin and dragons |
The inside of the hall featured a dozen or so marble Guanyin statues in various poses, and hundreds of golden Guanyin statues ringing the central pillar.
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| Guanyin with many arms |
At each of the corners of the shrine hall stood a statue to a famous Taoist sage. I don't know enough about Taoism to understand their significance, but I believe they are similar to saints.
By this point, it was getting hot, and our bags were getting tired. We had had a super early start in the morning, and I was starting to feel like I really needed an iced coffee!
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| Guanyin statue at the top of the temple |
We were almost ready to head back down from the mountainous city park into the city itself when we saw a very intriguing set of stairs leading into a forested area.
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| dragon's mouth leading up the steps |
To walk up the stairs, you had to walk through the mouth of a golden dragon. I had to see where they led!
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| inside the dragon's mouth |
The Chinese shrine compound had a second area, almost hidden away from the main shrine hall. Surrounded by a shady wooded area, this part of the shrine was cooler, quieter, and more peaceful. There wasn't anyone else around.
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| another shrine to Guanyin |
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| colorful temple bells |
Besides Guanyin and Guan Yu, the temple also houses statues dedicated to some of the other popular Chinese deities.
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| Laughing Buddha (Budai) |
Budai, the "Laughing Buddha" is often mistakenly referred to as "Buddha" in the West. He's not Buddha, but a disciple of Buddha who has become very popular in China and Japan (and is often represented in Chinatown neighborhoods in the US).
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| Budai and the Jade Emperor |
And finally, looking down from a platform elaborately decorated in dragons and the Chinese Zodiac sat the Jade Emperor himself! The Chinese god of heaven.
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| Jade Emperor and the Chinese Zodiac |
Even though he's one of the most powerful gods in Taoist cosmology, the Jade Emperor doesn't show up much in temples or shrines. Guanyin and Budai tend to be more popular. It was interesting to see him represented here at the park.
Hat Yai is a big city in Songkhla Province, which has one of the largest Thai-Chinese populations in Thailand. The culture in the far south is very different from in Bangkok, and it makes sense that many of the temples that we would see on our short trip would look more Chinese than Thai.
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| the Jade Emperor Shrine at the Municipal Park |
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