Wat Phra Dhammakaya is a Buddhist temple of large dimension in Khlong Luang Region, 16 miles northern of Bangkok International airport in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the center of the controversial Dhammakaya Activity, a Buddhist sect established in the 1970s, that has been assaulted for its non-traditional spiritual lessons and commercialization of Buddhism. The unorthodox $1billion spiritual monument looks more like a spacecraft, or a sports stadium or even a UFO rather than similar to a conventional Thai temple.
At the middle of the structure is a large dome (the Dhammakaya Cetiya) covered with 300,000 gold-coated bronze sculptures of Buddha -- another 700,000 are situated within the temple. The fantastic dome is the Memorial Area of the sect’s founder, Phramonkolthepmuni. This is enclosed by a large round concrete platform which features as the Relaxation Amphitheatre. The whole complicated is situated on a thousand-acres lot.
Mass traditions and meditations are organised daily, assisted by a large number of volunteers. During Sundays and significant spiritual celebrations, nearly 100,000 worshippers assemble at the complicated. Already a group of 3,000 priests, beginners, laymen and laywomen stay within Wat Phra Dhammakaya creating it the biggest temple in Thailand with regards to population.
Despite extravagant activities and nationwide coverage of these activities through tv stations, Dhammakaya has handled to keep under the world's radar. The four-decade old spiritual conspiracy has only lately scaly up to a scene that it’s now, with a two-week nationwide retreat held on Dec. 25, 2010, where an approximated 200,000 individuals joined.
Wat Phra Dhammakaya
Source : wikitravel