R. Doug Wicker — Author

Inside Wat Chayamangkalaram, one of the first sights to grab you is a 108-foot/33-meter gold-plated reclining Buddha. Impressive. I’ve seen this statue described as a “sleeping” Buddha, but that certainly did not seem the case to me:

Today is going to be a two-fer, because directly across the street from Wat Chayamangkalaram lies Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. We’ll get to that one in a moment. But for now I’m going to take you on a photo tour of Wat Chayamangkalaram. Continue beyond this photo gallery/slide show to read on about Dhammikarama Burmese Temple:

Time to head across the street for our next religious site: Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. What makes Dhammikarama truly unique is that it is the only Burmese temple in the entire Penang State, and that includes not just Penang Island, but also the eastern portion of the state on the Malay Peninsula. So, in just 64 feet/20 meters, including crossing a narrow 15-foot/4½-meter tree-shaded street, you get to see Buddhist temples in both the Thai and Burmese styles of architecture and adornment. That alone is worth heading out to this side of George Town.

Whereas Buddha rests in a reclining pose inside Wat Chayamangkalaram, he stands tall and proud here inside Dhammikarama:

Like the Buddha across the street, this one is also gilded. But it’s also slightly shorter. This Buddha stands about 27 feet/8.2 meters. But it’s still impressive:

Next Monday we’ll take a more detailed look at the colorful grounds. Until then, here’s a couple more images to whet your appetite:

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