Wat Rong Khun, also known as the “White Temple”, is an unconventional Buddhist temple with Hindu influences in Chiang Rai, Thailand. It was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat in 1997. “The main building is painted white to symbolize Buddha’s purity and is covered in mosaics of mirrors, sparkling in the sun. All around the complex are intricate sculptures of demons, skulls, severed heads handing from trees, and other bizarre objects. To reach the temple, you have to walk over a bridge over a moat filled with innumerable sculptures of out-reaching arms, apparently symbolizing desire. Inside, you will be greeted not by traditional Buddha life scenarios but by contemporary scenes and icons of popular culture. Instead of paintings of heroes fighting demons, Chalermchai decided to take contemporary manifestations of good and evil, and put it into a Buddhist context. Murals of Batman, Superman, Predator, and even Keanu Reeves as Neo from The Matrix are seen in the interior. In another wall there are paintings of spaceships and a scene depicting a cataclysmic event annihilating planet earth. Amidst this scene of destruction and chaos, with golden flowers surrounding, sits a peaceful white Buddha in front of an even larger Buddha who is surrounded by angelic deities floating in some celestial kingdom.” amusingplanet/2013/02/wat-rong-khun-buddhist-temple-inspired.html boredpanda/white-temple-thailand/
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 18:00:00 +0000
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