Wat Rong Khun Temple is a famous Buddhist complex in Thailand. It is known for the fact that it is executed almost entirely in kipenno-white color of the most chalky shades, openwork decorated with mosaics with mirror inclusions, furnished with an abundance of thematic sculptures. The White Temple is a popular visited place. There are elaborately decorated scenes featuring mythological characters, and the eye is drawn to numerous details, masterfully executed in alabaster.
Despite the fact that the architecture and interior of the temple are almost devoid of any painted elements, in the rays of morning and evening dawn, the room is filled with colors of various shades. Masses of visitors flock to it to join the amazing, real, man-made beauty. Everyone who has visited the Rong Khun Temple talks about what they saw as futuristic paintings, where each mural, figure, sculpture or pattern is endowed with a specific, own meaning.
Construction history
The White Temple in Thailand appeared in 1997 on the site of an almost collapsed Buddhist sanctuary, and its construction continues today. The reasons for such a long construction and arrangement are connected with the painstaking work of creating creative masterpieces, and with the earthquake that occurred in 2014. As a result of the damage, it was decided not to restore the building, but later the feasibility of restoration work was confirmed, and the Wat Rong Khun temple is still being updated and recreated.The creator and his idea
The complex owes its appearance to the artist Chalermchai Kasitpipat – he is the author and almost the only performer of artful ideas and artistic embodiments. The white base of the temple buildings is a symbol of the purity of the Buddha and the embodiment of nirvana, a myriad of small mirrors – divine wisdom embodied on earth. And the artist’s idea in sculptural compositions touches on the eternal theme of the confrontation between good and evil forces both in the external world and in human nature. A total of nine temple buildings are planned. The mastermind of the White Temple in Thailand claims that the construction has been planned for 90 years and will be completed by the architect’s students and followers.
Guests can purchase souvenirs and paintings by Chalermchai Kasitpipat. It is noteworthy that the author invests all the funds from the sale of his works in the construction, resolutely rejecting anyone’s participation or assistance. This is how the architect protects the independence of his inspiration and imagination.
The maintenance of the temple complex is truly large-scale, starting from detailed design, construction itself, and ending with the creation of interiors, murals, and the establishment of infrastructure. It is believed that over the two decades of the project’s existence, large sums with six zeros have already been invested in it.
Purpose
According to the global author’s idea, Wat Rong Khun Temple in Thailand should turn into a major Buddhist center, where many people will be able to comprehend sacred knowledge. Modern religious ideas, thanks to a new reading and interpretation of traditional canons, are designed to become more accessible to the understanding of the broad masses looking for answers to their questions. That is why there are so many unexpected design solutions in the architectural complex that catch the eye and make you rethink some well-established dogmas. Maybe that’s why the artist Chalermchai Kasitpipat is called the modern Salvador Dali.
Architecture and interior decoration
This temple in Thailand is not computer graphics, as it may seem to an inexperienced person when looking at the photo of the attraction from the monitor screen. It exists, and you can spend long hours looking at the subtleties and details of finishing, comprehending the artist’s idea or making guesses about the semantic purpose of individual elements.
The White Temple is the center of fine taste and noble worldview, embodied in architecture. Whimsical patterns, shapes and lines, sculptural compositions, fountains, a combination of the ancient foundations of Buddhism with a progressive view of life – everything here is imbued with the creator’s desire to convey the main thing to the human consciousness.
There are both pleasing to the eye, friendly in execution sculptures, and frankly sinister! A blinding-attractive snow-white temple on closer inspection may be frightening in some details, but no less interesting to explore. The roof of the White Temple of Wat Rong Khun is crowned with attributes of the four elements, the main ones in Buddhism. These are earth, air, water and fire, respectively-elephant, swan, snake and lion.
Currently, three buildings have been built: the White Temple, the Gallery and the Golden Palace. In the future, it is planned that they will be added:
- the chapel;
- monastery;
- pavilion;
- the museum;
- pagoda;
- sermon hall;
- recreation room.
The path to the temple runs through an openwork bridge that identifies moving from life’s problems to a world of eternal bliss. At the base of the bridge, a circle is marked, from which huge fang-like outgrowths rise to the sky-the teeth of some fabulous creature that can devour stars and planets. On the way to the White Temple, an unexpected sight opens up – human hands growing right out of the ground. This is a symbolic hellish place, reminding us that we need to take timely care of the salvation of our soul, so as not to become the same sinner, begging for alms of grace and forgiveness, having already been condemned to eternal torment.
The Golden Palace
The building with the intriguing name of the Golden Palace actually looks very impressive, thanks to intricate ornaments and decorations. The palace outside is ennobled with flower stands. In fact, the building, it turns out, has the purpose of a toilet, so it is much less visited by tourists. Nevertheless, to get acquainted with the interiors of the palace, you have to change your shoes and stand in a real queue – many tourists want to capture its decoration in a photo. But this point should not confuse visitors – there are regular toilets nearby.
The grace of the green framing of the palace
The surrounding area of Wat Rong Khun also did not go unnoticed by the architect. Beautiful paths are laid out for transitions and walks, there are benches for relaxing in the shade of trees, and the playgrounds are decorated with vegetation. Everything is made for the convenience of travelers who have decided to devote their time to studying the White Temple in Thailand.
The green area is also ennobled with the help of regular semantic sculptural compositions with the participation of the Buddha and other traditional accompanying characters. The tree branches are decorated with unusual masks, and a fish pond is built next to the temple in the park. By the way, the inhabitants of the reservoir are quite large specimens, numerous and very bright in color, their colorful flocks are interesting to watch and even more interesting to feed directly from your hands.
Another intricate attraction of the temple complex is the well, also called the golden one. It is associated with the belief that if you make a wish, throw a coin and fall into the center of the well, it will be fulfilled. It is believed that the realization of human aspirations is also promoted by notes with prayers left on specially designated trees. The white Temple of Wat Rong Khun is a real source of hope and comfort.
Unique temple interiors of Wat Rong Khun
No less interesting is the interior decoration of temple buildings. The interior of the White Temple of Thailand is half-empty, which symbolizes purity from unnecessary thoughts. In the center there is a figure of a monk, which impresses visitors with its naturalness of execution and striking resemblance to a person. The walls are painted by the creator of the temple, the paintings are distinguished by the use of golden tones, and the scenes depicted continue the theme of the struggle between good and evil.
Currently, the wall paintings are partially under restoration after the earthquake. One of the walls is reserved for a Buddhist altar with corresponding elements.
Where is the white temple in Thailand and how to get there
The White Temple is located near the Thai city of Chiang Rai in the northern region of Thailand, and it is not difficult to solve the problem of how to get to Wat Rong Khun. From Chiang Rai in the south, about 175 km away is another big city – Chiang Mai, from where shuttle buses will take you to the White Temple. You will also be able to find it on your own car: residents of the surrounding settlements will be able to tell you where the White Temple is located in Thailand.
Important to know when visiting the complex
- Address: Lahaul-Spiti | Pa O Don Chai Subdistrict, Chiang Rai 57000, Thailand.
- Opening hours of the temple: 7: 00-17: 00 all year round.
- Admission fee: 100 baht.
Interesting facts
- Donations are welcome in the temple, but they should not exceed 10,000 baht. The author of the creation does not want to fall under the influence of major sponsors.
- The author, in a rush to convey to the beholder of his creations the simplicity of the world structure, which has become the arena of an endless struggle of dark and light forces, has included in his brainchild a number of new objects that are well known to modern people. These are the heroes of cult science fiction films (“The Matrix”, “Alien”, “Spider-Man”, “Star Wars” and others), as well as events that shook the world (September 11).
- The sculpture of a monk in the center of the White Temple is made so skillfully that many people perceive it as a mummified real body. However, this is not the case — the figure is made of wax materials.
- It is noteworthy and at the same time symbolic that it is impossible to get back on the same bridge, because it is a transition to eternal happiness. So it is customary to leave the temple complex in a different way.
Useful tips
- When visiting the White Buddhist Temple, you must leave your shoes in front of the entrance. Don’t let it bother you, these are the usual ways of life in east and south-east Asia, including Thailand. The nature and purpose of the place is such that shoe theft is simply impossible here.
- When visiting the complex, be sure to buy souvenirs or paintings by the artist-this will not only preserve the memory of a unique place, but also help further construction and development.
- Do not attempt to take a photo inside the White Temple – this is forbidden.
- Be sure to follow the clothing requirements that are common in Asian religious buildings – there should be no unclosed areas (hands, feet).
Wat Rong Khun is a truly amazing place. Here we have successfully combined tradition and modernity, which undoubtedly contributes to the development of the visitors ‘ perception of the world and increases the interest in studying Buddhism and spiritual practices in general among the younger generation.
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