Man detained for climbing ancient Buddhist stupa’s golden spire at Wat Phra Mahathat in Nakhon Si Thammarat

A young man was detained after climbing to the top of the golden spire of the ancient Buddhist stupa, Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The spire, adorned with ancient gold artefacts and blue sapphires, is a revered site for Buddhists worldwide.

At around 1am this morning, local law enforcement and passersby noticed a man scaling the golden spire of the historic stupa in Nakhon Si Thammarat, one of the major landmarks of Buddhism. Adorned with priceless ancient gold artefacts and blue sapphires, the spire stands atop a stupa that attracts respect and devotion from Buddhists globally.

The man had scaled the spire, laden with precious ancient artefacts, gold ornaments, and blue sapphires. These priceless trinkets, including ancient gold rings, were strung with gold wire around the spire’s top. The suspect had climbed up the iron frame of a shop, reaching more than 60 metres off the ground unnoticed.

The first to spot him was Phra Khru Sophit, director of Wat Phra Nakhon’s Pariyat School, who saw the man from the opposite side of the stupa. Authorities were alerted, and the man remained on the peak for nearly two hours.

Upon descent, the man was apprehended and identified as 28 year old Prawat, or O, a resident of Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Mueang district. As he seemed disoriented, authorities suspected drug intoxication and took him to the Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat Police Station for background checks and drug testing while coordinating with his relatives.

Chalem Jitramas, public relations officer for Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, stated that around 9pm yesterday, the man had entered the temple and attempted to attack three novices at Wat Phra Nakhon, who were taking a stroll. The novices managed to flee before seeing the man atop the spire, reported Sanook.

Aftermath

Upon inspecting the damage the following morning, temple authorities examined the stupa’s surrounding area to search for any fallen ancient gold artefacts or blue sapphires from the golden spire. While nothing was found, they learnt that officials from the 12th Fine Arts Office in Nakhon Si Thammarat were scheduled to assess the damage later in the afternoon.

As for the iron shop frame, a private contractor tasked with installing a 1.9 million baht lightning rod system was in the process of replacing the original structure and cleaning the trees growing on the spire. However, the installation was not yet complete when the incident occurred.