The mummified
Monk can be visited at Wat Khunaram, on the street from
Lamai Beach to Nathon, about eight kilometres south of Lamai Beach.
The mummy is the body of a formerly rich Samuian who, in advanced
age, rejected all worldly possessions to devote his attention
to his spiritual well-being. He died in 1973 at the age
of 79.
As legend
has it, a few days before his death, he instructed his followers
to build a coffin for him. Legend further insists that the corpse
of the monk, who had died exactly on the date he allegedly had
himself predicted, simply "refused" to decay.
Therefore a glass coffin was built in which the corpse is exhibited
to this day.
To Thais
the alleged fact that the monk's body "refused" to decay
without human interference counts as a Buddhist miracle -
or rather as proof that by Buddhist enlightenment achieved through
meditation, every law of nature, or rather, every law of the physical
world, can be overcome (Buddhist perceptions of the world are
considered laws of nature by Buddhist).
The mummified
monk is probably the one Samui attraction among those listed here,
which remains most vivid in the memories of most tourists. Perhaps
this is due to the macabre fact that the corpse of a person, who
died more than 20 years ago, is exhibited as a tourist attraction
(there are a few pilgrims coming to the site, but most visitors
are tourists).
And: who
has actually seen a mummy before? In the opinion of the editor,
the corpse, although leathered, still looks surprisingly human
- so human, in fact, that after some time of observation one
can imagine the person alive - which is a lot more difficult with
a sculpture.
As the mummified
monk is a Buddhist place of pilgrimage no entry fees are
charged for the visit. But a clearly visible glass box invites
donations. Visitors are expected to sign into a guest ledger.
There are signs discouraging the taking of photographs, but every
visitor receives one photograph (independent from eventual donations).
If you want to make your own shots, ask first (and do give a donation).
