The White Temple

The White Temple

We leave the Sukhothai area and begin the travel to Chiang Rai, the northernmost province of Thailand.  After a long bus ride through some beautiful country side the first stop we made was our Chiang Rai Hotel.  Once settled in at our hotel we headed out to lunch then on to the magnificent White Temple of Thailand.

Wat Rong Khun, better known to visitors as the White Temple, is a privately owned art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat, who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997.

By the end of the 20th century, the original Wat Rong Khun was in a bad state of repair and funds were not available for renovation.   Little information is known about Wat Rong Khun before it was put in the hands of Chalermchai Khositpipat, considered by many to be Thailand’s greatest modern artist. He took the aging, dilapidated ruins of a temple and turned it into what is today one of the city’s most popular attractions. Chalermchai Kositpipat decided to completely rebuild the temple and fund the project with his own money. 

The artist intends for the area adjacent to the temple to be a center of learning and meditation and for people to gain benefit from the Buddhist teachings.   Kositpipat considers the temple to be an offering to Buddha and believes the project will give him immortal life. Today the works are ongoing, but are not expected to be completed until 2070 according to the brochure we were given at the entry gate.  While we toured the Temple it is easy to see that the Temple is based on the constant struggle between good and evil, although sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference!

When completed, the White Temple compound will have several buildings, including the existing ubosot, (the term ubosot, refers to a hall used for rituals on the Buddhist Sabbath, which falls four times a month, on the full moon, new moon, and eighth day after each; gotta love dictionarys!),   a hall of relics, a meditation hall, an art gallery, and living quarters for monks. 

The bridge of "the cycle of rebirth" is the entry to the main building at the white temple.   In front of the bridge are hundreds of outreaching hands that symbolize unrestrained desire. The bridge proclaims that the way to happiness is by foregoing temptation, greed, and desire. Next to the lake stand two very elegant statues that are half-human, half-bird creatures from Buddhist mythology.

Gate of Heaven: After crossing the bridge, the visitor arrives at the "gate of heaven", guarded by two creatures representing Death and Rahu, who decides the fate of the dead. In front of the Temple are several meditative Buddha images. 

 Ubosot: The principal building, the ubosot is an all-white building with fragments of mirrored glass embedded in the building's exterior. The ubosot embodies design elements from classic Thai architecture such as the three-tiered roof and abundant use of Naga serpents.  "Inside the temple, where no one is allowed to take photos, the decor swiftly moves from pristine white to fiery and bewildering. Murals depict swirling orange flames and demon faces, interspersed with Western idols such as Michael Jackson, Neo from The Matrix, Freddy Krueger, and a T-800 series Terminator. Images of nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks such as the World Trade Center attack, and oil pumps hammer home the destructive impact that humans have had on earth. The presence of Harry Potter, Superman, and Hello Kitty confuses the message somewhat, but the overall moral is clear: people are wicked.  These are just a few of the items I remember of the paintings inside this main building, I wish photos could have been taken.  If you want to get an idea you can google ‘images inside White Temple Thailand’ and you will be amazed!

The golden building: "A structure that stands out because of its color is the rest rooms building. Another very ornately decorated structure, this golden building represents the body, whereas the white ubosot represents the mind. The gold symbolizes how people focus on worldly desires and money. The white building represents the idea to make merit and to focus on the mind, instead of material things and possession."

 

Around the temple grounds are several concrete “trees” with thousands of medallions hanging down from them. These are ‘wish’ Medallions you can purchase near the “trees” and you can add your good will wish written on a medallion, sign your name to it and your wish will be hung on one of the trees or from a walkway roof or perhaps a doorway entry.

As we wandered through the park admiring this amazing art project we spotted some additional interesting photo opportunities.  I hope you enjoy them and feel like you’re actually there taking in the overwhelming awesomeness of the White Temple of Thailand.

 It's time to say goodbye to the White Temple! 

More to come soon 😊

Jan 🌷🌷🐾🐾