Another colourful Thai event to mark Khao Phansa, the start of the Buddhist rainy season retreat is tak bat dok mai, floral almsgiving which takes place at the beautiful Wat Phra Phutthabat in Saraburi.

The special annual event has become so popular that it is now held twice a day for two days in order to accommodate the huge crowds that come to make merit.

As the monks walk towards the temple, the faithful put flowers, candles and incense in the alms bowls and pour water on the monks’ feet.

The saffron robed monks continue their route, up the steps to the hilltop temple where they pay respects in the ornate mondop which houses a footprint of Buddha. It’s refreshing to see merit making that involves the simple giving of flowers rather than money which has become all too prevalent in Buddhism.

A must on any travel itinerary, the UNESCO World Heritage town of Ayutthaya is just 86 km (53 miles) north of Bangkok. In recent years, the town has flourished on the back of increased domestic tourism and there a great choice of small resorts and homestays plus excellent restaurants. If you are a bit of a culture vulture and looking for a couple of nights escape from Bangkok, it’s hard to beat.  

After Sukhothai, the town is considered Thailand’s second most important historical site and is scattered with ancient temple ruins and imposing Buddha images.

While in town for Khao Phansa, I had the opportunity to revisit a handful of temples including one of my favourites, Wat Yai Chai Mongkol.

Built in 1357, it features an enormous chedi and many enigmatic Buddha images.

I arrived just before dusk to catch the warm evening light and to photograph the candlelit procession.

Last week I was in Ayutthaya for Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent. Often referred to as the rainy season retreat, it is a period when monks remain within the temples and devote themselves to study and meditation.

This starts on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month in July until the fifteenth day of the waxing moon of the eleventh lunar month in October, known as Ok Phansa. This year that’s July 22 until 19th October.

At the small klong-side village of Lad Chado, a 40-minute drive from Ayutthaya, Khao Phansa is celebrated with a colourful floating procession in which candles and Buddha images are taken to the local temple.

There’s an air of celebration about the event and the entire village gets involved. This year it was promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and attracted hundreds of visitors from Bangkok.

I also spent an evening at old temples in Ayutthaya photographing candlelit processions, and tak bat dok mai or floral almsgiving at a temple in Saraburi. More on those later in the week. I was at the events with Richard Barrow who is an invaluable source of information on events in Thailand.