Wat Buppharam
Temple of the Lifting Buddha, 8 Jalan Perak, 10150 Penang

Wat Buppharam is a Thai Buddhist temple located at Jalan Perak in Penang. The name Wat Buppharam means "flower temple", and is one of the common names for temples in Thailand. Among the locals in Penang, the Wat Buppharam here is often called Temple of the Lifting Buddha, on account of the century-old Buddha image in the temple. It was founded in 1942 by Phothan Srikheaw, a Thai Buddhist monk, who acted as the first abbot of the wat. Wat Buppharam began as a small temple, but over the years, through donations and gifts from believers, was able to embark on several expansion programs. In the early 2000, it completed its gateway arch, which is one of the grandest entrance arches of a Buddhist temple in Penang. An image of Phothan Srikheaw is found at Wat Buppharam today.

Among the structures in Wat Buppharam is a viharn or prayer hall. The viharn has a chedi linked to it. To the left of the viharn is an ubosot, flanked on either sides by undulating nagas. A short distance behind the ubosot is the rice pagoda, a square-base structure built in the form of a mondop.

Although founded as a Theravada Buddhist temple, Wat Buppharam embraces elements of other faiths from Mahayana to Taoism to Hinduism. Within the compound of the temple are the statues of the Kuan Yin (bodhisattva Avalokitesvara), the Ganesha, the Taoist Earth Deity, and spirit house containing the 4-faced buddha (the Hindu deity Brahma?).

Wat Buppharam is busiest during the Loy Krathong Festival. It is where the procession starts, with devotees bearing the colorful "krathong" or floral offerings, making their way from the temple at Jalan Perak, through Jalan Burma, Lorong Burma, passing Wat Chaiyamangkalaram and Dhammikarama, to Persiaran Gurney, where they are placed in the sea.

Wat Buppharam is one of the two temples often involved in the staging of Thai festivals such as Loy Krathong and Songkhran.

Getting there

Wat Buppharam is located at the north end of Jalan Perak. Rapid Penang Bus Nos. 101, U104 and 304 pass by there. The temple is located immediately after Hong Hock See Temple.