Sattahip Buddhists paid respects to a revered monk who was the first head monk of Sattahip Temple and to pray for good health and fortune in the new year.
Thousands of devotees flocked to the temple Jan. 1 and 2 to honor Phrakhru Worawet Muni, better known as Luang Pho Ei, an expert in meditation and a monk who brought comfort to the residents of the Sattahip area during his lifetime.
The temple was built in the reign of King Rama V in 1899. Phrakhru Worawet Muni was its first abbot. Besides his meditative skills, the devout believed he could enchant amulets and talismans, which are still valuable on the resale market today.
Legend has it that, when Sattahip Naval Base was bombed by Allied Forces during World War II, the revered monk stood in the middle of the temple grounds waving a monk’s saffron cloth flicking away the bombs to fall into the ocean, thus protecting the town and its people from harm.
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