Wesak Day at Jalan Gasing Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple

Buddhists throughout the country gathered in temples to pay homage to Lord Buddha on Wesak Day.

Wesak is a holiest day for Buddhists and celebrates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and his passing away.

According to Buddhists, the three significant events in Buddha’s life took place on the same date.

At the Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple in Jalan Pantai, off Jalan Gasing in Petaling Jaya, the Wesak Day celebrations on May 24, 2013 saw large numbers of Buddhists offered prayers while others offered fresh flowers and lights in the form of oil lamps.

Among the crowd of devotees were Karthigeyan, 18, a Hindu, from Sungai Buluh and his parents who joined the Wesak Day celebrations in true spirit of religious harmony.

“Every Wesak Day, we come here to pray to get Buddha’s blessing. We feel like we are more successful in my studies as well as good fortune to my father’s business,” said the 18-year-old student who will be studying for his Diploma in Nautical Studies at Akademi Laut Malaysia in Malacca in August.

His father Retnam Ramasamy, 48, who runs a landscaping company, said “Before I got married, I stayed here in Petaling Jaya, and the Buddhist temple holds a special place in my heart even though I am a Hindu.

“We come here to pray for Buddha’s blessings of peace, good health, good fortune and success.”