Songkhla City Pillar Shrine—Songkhla, Thailand. - Buddhist Temples and Public Shrines on Waymarking.com

A Lak Mueang or 'City Pillar Shrine' is a public shrine, usually in the shape of a pillar, which represents the tutelary diety of each province of Thailand. The pillar is housed in a structure, which often reflects the historical background of the province. Each Shrine has great religious, social, and political importance, and are held in high regard by the local inhabitants. Most Thai provinces have an official Shrine, and some districts within a province have their own, smaller shrine.

There are several different styles of lak mueang, however, they are normally located close to the centre of their town, usually in or near the governmental precinct. There is a belief that the height of the pillar was the height of the founder of the city, and its diameter a multiple of his fist size. Some shrines contain historical records of the town, region, or the shrine itself.

This is the shrine for the province of Songkhla, located in the town of Songkhla. One unusual aspect of this province is that, while the town of Songkhla is the provincial capital, it is not the largest city of the province. This title goes to the city of Hat Yai, 30kms to the west. Songkhla is a relatively small and quiet town.

The Shrine is a series of rooms, the first and largest of which houses the actual Pillar. The other rooms contain same sets of photographs of old scenes from the province, documents, and other memorabilia. There is a prayer area before the Pillar.

In a rare departure from the standard 'Thai' style, the design of this shrine shows a strong Chinese influence, due to the large numbers of Chinese who settled in the town over its history. In the same fashion, the shrine of the central province of Samut Prakan also has a Chinese themed shrine. According to information found in the Songkhla Museum, this shrine was originally constructed in 1842, making it one of the older shrines in existence.

Open to visitors?: Yes Photography Permitted Inside?: Yes Statue of the Buddha present?: Yes Related Website: Not listed

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