Worshiping the Buddha's shadow

Phra Phutthachai (Buddha's shadow) is a faint shadow that is an imprint on the cliff at the foot of the mountain in the area of ​​Wat Phra Phutthachai. It looks like a standing Buddha image. It is believed to have been discovered during the reign of King Songtham of Ayutthaya. He ordered the construction of Wat Phra Phutthachai around 2163-2171 B.E. and is enshrined on the slope of Khao Phra Phutthachai. It is inside a two-tiered pavilion on the shoulder of the mountain. It is located in Village No. 1, Nong Pla Lai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Saraburi Province. The entrance to Wat Phra Phutthachai is a road that branches off from Phahonyothin Road at kilometer 102 (Khok Hin Rae Village, Nong Yao Subdistrict). Go in for 5 kilometers (6 kilometers south of Saraburi town on the road, then turn left for 5 kilometers). You will easily reach the place where Phra Phutthachai is enshrined. The legend of Phra Phutthachai in brief The Buddha came to Khao Khataka (Khao Phra Phutthachai) to teach the hunter Khataka until he attained Arahantship. When the Buddha returned, Phra Khataka asked for a memorial to worship. The Buddha performed a miracle by letting his shadow remain in the rock at the base of the Phra Phutthachai mountain. Nearby, there is a pavilion with a footprint of the Buddha on the right side. This pavilion was built during the reign of King Sua and contains a Bodhi tree that was brought from Sri Lanka. Every year, there is a festival to worship the Buddha's shadow along with a festival to worship the Buddha's footprint in Saraburi Province. Discovery It is assumed that the Buddha's shadow (the Buddha's shadow) was discovered in the Ayutthaya period, after the Buddha's footprint was discovered. Wat Phra Phutthachai During the reign of King Songtham (2163-2171 B.E.) When the Buddha's shadow was discovered, a pavilion was built to cover the royal portrait as a place of worship for Buddhists, including later kings and high-ranking members of the royal family. From the chronicles, it is clear that "King Sua, together with members of the royal family and The royal officials traveled to pay homage to the Buddha's image and then went to pay homage to the Buddha's footprint, etc., until the last king of the Ayutthaya period, King Ekathat, he traveled to pay homage to the Buddha's image before the fall of Ayutthaya 3 years (2307 B.E.) as appears in the Ayutthaya Chronicles, Panchantamas (Chiem) version, page 484, which states in the chapter "Celebrating the Buddha's Image" about the Buddha's image that in the reign of King Suriyamarin, "In the first month, he went to pay homage to the Buddha's image for 3 days, etc., then he returned to celebrate the Buddha's footprint for 7 days.