Rayong residents began the new year solemnly, praying for prosperity in 2013 at Lum Mahachai Chumphon Temple.
Worshippers made offerings to King Taksin the Great, added oil to lamps, and tied fabric to stink bean trees used as a haven for ancient warriors traveling from Rayong to Chantaburi three centuries ago.
At the King Taksin statue, people presented fruit, pig heads, ducks and chicken, while others gilded the statue with gold leaf.
The temple contains two Taksin statues donated by Thongpan Phusuwan, who had dreamed that the king had told her his spirit had nowhere to reside. The pavilion was constructed in 1960. Another life-size statue was added later near the stink bean tree, which was a resting place for the king’s troops to take back Ayutthaya.
At the King Taksin statue, people present fruit, pig heads, ducks and chicken, while others gild the statue with gold leaf.
