after a tiny breakdown on the highway (yes, that is our driver climbing under the bus to fix a broken ?(as in, who knows) with only his bare hands)
we arrived in Chiang Rai and went in search of Wat Rong Khun ("The White Temple"). Actually, we made the detour to Chiang Rai to specifically see this wat. I mentioned that we were completely "wat-ed out" in my last post, and yet here we were. BUT as you'll see from the photos this wat is one of a kind and we were really impressed.
Covered in mirrors to reflect sun (symbolizing the Buddha's wisdom) and all white (representing the purity of Buddha), this temple looked like a huge ice palace. Funded by an independent artist (he does not accept large donations in order to preserve his artistic freedom) construction began in 1998 and is still ongoing.
The whole temple represents the life of Buddha. The small semicircle before the bridge represents the human world. The big circle with fangs represents the impurities in the mind, and the hands are a representation of hell and suffering.
The temple is also surrounded by depictions of "evils" and the head's of sinners hang in the trees.
Inside the temple, murals cover the walls. On one of the walls there's a giant snake with a portrait of Bush in one eye and Osama bin Laden in the other eye.
The temple was incredibly beautiful and we're really glad we went but now, "wat" we need is a break from wats.
we arrived in Chiang Rai and went in search of Wat Rong Khun ("The White Temple"). Actually, we made the detour to Chiang Rai to specifically see this wat. I mentioned that we were completely "wat-ed out" in my last post, and yet here we were. BUT as you'll see from the photos this wat is one of a kind and we were really impressed.
Covered in mirrors to reflect sun (symbolizing the Buddha's wisdom) and all white (representing the purity of Buddha), this temple looked like a huge ice palace. Funded by an independent artist (he does not accept large donations in order to preserve his artistic freedom) construction began in 1998 and is still ongoing.
The whole temple represents the life of Buddha. The small semicircle before the bridge represents the human world. The big circle with fangs represents the impurities in the mind, and the hands are a representation of hell and suffering.
The temple is also surrounded by depictions of "evils" and the head's of sinners hang in the trees.
Inside the temple, murals cover the walls. On one of the walls there's a giant snake with a portrait of Bush in one eye and Osama bin Laden in the other eye.
The temple was incredibly beautiful and we're really glad we went but now, "wat" we need is a break from wats.
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