Temple offering visitors free life-and-death experience

Wat Thai Prachan in Pak Tho district in Ratchaburi province offers visitors a free room for the night on the top floor of this hall, an experience bound to test their strength of mind. (Photo by Saichol Ochakajon)

RATCHABURI: A temple in this central province is offering visitors a life-and-death experience they will probably not find anywhere else.

Wat Thai Prachansays visitors can stay overnight for free in a room at the temple in Pak Tho district. The room has a bed and other basics found in hotel rooms. The challenge is, the room is right above the cremation chamber.

"It is spacious and it is not stuffy, thanks to the wind blowing through it," said Phra Thanachok Withitthammo.

The cremation hall at the temple was built for multi-purpose use. The main floor is for the cremation ceremony, and is sandwiched between a storage room below it and a large room above.

With the cremation over down below, the room was originally for monks to meditate and test their understanding of universal truths, one of which is to realise the transitory nature of all things.

Now the temple has opened the room to local people and outside visitors. They can stay overnight free of charge - but a donation to the temple would not be spurned when they check out.

"The temple wants visitors to stay overnight. It will test their strength of mind," Phra Thanachok said.

"The temple welcomes all. They can come alone or come as a pair or a group," the monk added.