Culture of Ko Samui. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Kho Samui landmarks are mostly unique religious buildings and constructions, nature sites and attractions as well as museums visiting of which will be of great interest to all tourists without exception. One of the most beautiful architectural constructions of the island is the Laem Sor pagoda. Being located on a scenic beach the construction looks just amazing. The main finishing material used in pagoda setting was small plates of gold color. The pagoda gets its most impressive look in bright sunny weather when the plates are shining reflecting the beams of the sun.

In the mountain area tourists will discover the Secret Buddha Garden which is another recommended site to visit and explore during the Samui vacation. The garden was established by a local farmer Nim Thongsuk. The farmer started the construction of the garden in 1976 at the age 77 years old. The main decorating elements of the garden have been stone carved statues attracting many tourists. One can amaze the beauty of these statues for a whole day. It should be noted that the garden is located in a hard to reach area. A trip to the garden will turn to a real unforgettable adventure for every tourist.

The island hosts several pagodas each of them keeping a unique collection of artifacts. Another interesting adventure during a Samui vacation will be a trip to the Wat Khunaram temple the main relic of which is a mummified body of the monk. According to one of the legends before the Buddhism adoption the monk was a rich and noble citizen however later on he decided to abandon mundane pleasures and values and devoted his life to Buddha. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

He lived in a continuous state of meditation for more than 35 years and through this period his appearance did not change a bit. The body of monk was decided to move to a temple where it has been kept for more than 20 years by now. A symbolic landmark of the island is considered to be the Statue of Coral Buddha. Several years ago this statue was included in all the island guide books. The monument is located not far from the Wat Sumret temple. For several years the statue has not had any reconstruction and renovation and thus looks rather woefully.

However this landmark is of great popularity among curious tourists as local monks consider the statue to be one of the most sacred relics of the island. The Wat Sumret Temple is considered to be one of the most beautiful constructions on the destination attracting many tourists to embrace its grandness and charm. The Wat Phra Yai Temple keeps the greatest Buddha statue of the island. The 12-meter height gold image of god is visible from away of several kilometers from the temple.