The Sanctuary of Truth – An must-see contemporary museum by Pattaya beach
The Sanctuary of Truth is a contemporary museum and an icon of Pattaya. It is designed by Lek Viriyaphan with a wish to preserve the traditional hand-carved technique and increase the awareness of art appreciation to the Thai young generation and people all over the world, especially among the massive development of technology. The museum is totally made from hand-carved wood with the decoration of Thai, Buddhist, Chinese, Hindu, and Khmer traditions. Through each hand-carved ornament, the owner has a special story and message about love, life philosophies, etc… Over 40 years, the Sanctuary of Truth is still under construction, but it attracts many visitors when they go to Pattaya due to its special architecture.
There are 2 colors on the building, which shows artworks made many years ago and newly-made
Basic information about the Sanctuary of Truth
- Opening hours: 08:00 AM – 6:00 PM every day
- Address: หมู่ที่ 5 206/2 Pattaya-Naklua, Bang Lamung District, Chon Buri 20150 (See map)
- Ticket fee: 500 THB/adult; 250 THB/ child (110-140 cm); Free for children under 110 cm
- The ticket fee includes a museum tour of 45 minutes in English, Russia, France, Chinese, or Thai Language in a specific schedule. You can check for further details at the place
How to get to the Sanctuary of Truth?
You can reach this building in many cheap and convenient ways such as:
- By motorbike: You can easily rent a motorbike at 300 THB per day and explore Pattaya and the area on your own. The place has a big parking lot for both motorbikes and cars
- By car: You drive your own car to this area. However, please drive carefully as the road near the museum is a bit small and curving.
- By taxi or motorbike taxi: If you do not have your own vehicle, you can take a taxi or motorbike taxi, which may cost you from 50-60 THB depending on your location.
- By bike: If you have a bike, it is a great experience to get to this place by bike as the road is easy to go.
What is Sanctuary of Truth well-known for?
Firstly, the sanctuary is famous for its hand-carved structure in a castle style. The owner hires many woodcarvers to help with carving each piece of wood. After that, the craftsmen will connect these wood pieces to complete a part of the sculpture. Instead of using nails, they use the articulation method to join each part of the building. As a result, it creates a perfectly joint-by-joint structure for the museum.
Craftsmen are carving wood in the working ground
As its name, The Sanctuary of Truth emphasizes seven main truths in our life through the wood sculptures around the museum. Those seven truths include tons of meaningful teachings from ancient philosophers about morals, ethics, etc. All these details will be provided through the tour with the tour guide.
Inside the building lies a center point where they exhibit the relics of Buddha and some important monks.
The center point of the sanctuary lies Budda’s relics
Additionally, you can also join many activities at this place such as horse and elephant riding, shooting sport, etc… You can ask for further details at the information counter when you buy the ticket.
The Sanctuary of Truth tour
The entrance fee to The Sanctuary of truth will include an introduction tour about the story or message behind each sculpture piece for 45 minutes.
When you get the ticket at the entrance, you will move to a place for the tour guide to provide some overview about the museum. After that, you will move downhill to get a hard hat before you reach the inside of the sanctuary. The tour guide will provide you with details on each section of the place and remind us of some safety tips.
After we cross the craftsmen’s working ground, we reach the main building of The Sanctuary of Truth. The tour guide will start by explaining to you the reflection of seven truths on the sculpture. We would advise you to follow the tour first. Once the 45-minute tour end, you can go free until 6 PM.
When you finish your tour, you need to hand over the hat to the staff and come back the same road up.
Tips when visiting The Sanctuary of Truth
The Sanctuary of Truth is a museum, not a temple, but please make sure you follow the below tips to make your trip safe and memorable.
- Dress modesty
- Always wear the hard hat inside the sanctuary as advised
- Follow the whole tour inside the sanctuary to get full information about it
- Take off your shoes when moving up the center points where lies the Buddha’s relics
- Visit the place from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM to enjoy the place showering in the sunset
Some artworks at the Sanctuary of Truth
The most complete part of the building
Each part corner of the roof will have a god or goddess
Each piece of the building is carved to match perfectly with each other
Another side of the center point which requires skillfully craftsmanship
A big wood statue at the exit of the museum tour
One of the balconies in the castle
An art piece with green color on it due to the impact of time
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