Don't be confused any more about this big Buddha monument. The monument at Wat Huay Mongkol Buddhist Temple, Hua Hin is not a statue of The Lord Buddha. The historical Lord Buddha is one of many Boddhisattva, a term that describes the stage of development of a Buddha before enlightenment, including in previous lives. Boddhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism is a being who voluntarily stops short of reaching the state of Nirvana or Nibbana in Sanskrit, in order to help humanity. In Thailand The Goddess Kuan Yin and several of the kingdom’s revered abbots or Luang Phor, such as the Luang Phor Tuad, are considered to be Boddhisattva.

Luang Phor Tuad was the legendary Southern Thai monk, immensely popular with the Southern Thais and increasingly so elsewhere in the Kingdom for the miracles associated with him.

The big Buddha statue was commissioned by Queen Sirikit of Thailand at Wat Huay Mongkol. The temple houses the largest statue of Luang Phor Thuad 'in the world' Not only is Wat Huay Mongkol regarded as a holy place but it has also become a recreational area for visitors.in a visitor attraction setting that many visitors seek out at weekends and on holidays.

The huge Luang Phor Thuad statue is seated on a pedestal with four other smaller images in niches where the faithful can paste gold-leaf on Luang Phor Thuad.