Picturesque Koh Kham Island from Pattaya

The image of Buddha sat cross-legged, with one hand resting on his knee and the other in his lap, is engraved into the northern face of Khao Chi Chan. The solitary limestone hill was once used to supply the local construction industry with materials. In 1996, to commemorate His Majesty the King of Thailand’s golden jubilee, the 109-meter-tall and 70-meter-wide image was carved into the rock and then marked out in gold on the recommendation of the then Supreme Patriarch, who felt it was otherwise a waste of a perfectly good (and particularly beautiful) mountain. The image was designed using computer software and then drawn onto the side of Khao Chi Chan using a laser. This was done entirely at night so that the light of the laser could be seen more clearly. During the day, the image would be fixed and adjusted. Finally, with the drawing completed, gold was used to fill in the sculpture.

Koh Kham is a small island in the eastern Thai Gulf, off the coast of Chonburi. Although uninhabited today, the island has a spooky legacy. American soldiers had a base on Koh Kham during the Second World War as the deep waters were ideal for accommodating large warships. The deadly mosquito-spread disease of malaria was rife at that time, killing a substantial number of soldiers. Their bodies were buried on the island.

Pattaya is a city on Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast known for its beaches. A quiet fishing village as recently as the 1960s, it’s now lined with resort hotels, high-rise condos, shopping malls, cabaret bars and 24-hour clubs. Nearby, hillside Wat Phra Yai Temple features an 18m-tall golden Buddha. The area also features several designer golf courses, some with views of Pattaya Bay.