Erawan Museum ( th, พิพิธภัณฑ์ช้างเอราวัณ) is a museum in
Samut Prakan Province, Thailand. It is well known for its giant three-headed elephant art display. The three storeys inside the elephant contain antiquities and priceless collections of ancient religious objects belonging to
Lek Viriyapant who was the museum owner and also creator of the
Ancient Siam
Ancient Siam (also known as Ancient City, th, เมืองโบราณ, Mueang Boran) is a museum park constructed by Lek Viriyaphant and occupying over in the shape of Thailand.
Ancient Siam is dubbed as the world's largest outdoor mu ...
and
Sanctuary of Truth
The Sanctuary of Truth () is an unfinished museum in Pattaya, Thailand designed by Thai businessman Lek Viriyaphan. The museum structure is a hybrid of a temple and a castle that is themed on the Ayutthaya Kingdom and of Buddhist and Hindu beliefs ...
museums which stores artifacts and heritage items.
The museum displays important model sculptures which shows many facets of Thai culture.
Museum
![Erawan museum-003](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Erawan_museum-003.jpg)
The massive three headed elephant made of bronze weighs 250 tons, is 29 metres high, 39 metres long and stands on a pedestal. The inside of the museum is modeled after the Hindu representation of the universe. The lower two floors are located inside the pedestal while the top floor is located in the belly of the elephant.
The first floor contains a collection of Chinese vases from the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
and
Qing dynasties
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
as well as the history of the museum's construction in photographs and wall placards.
The second floor houses precious antiques and arts including ceramics and European pottery. The hall features a statue of
Guanyin
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
, the Chinese Goddess with a thousand arms.
The top floor represents the
Travatimsa Heaven, which is located on top of
Mount Meru
Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु), also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru, is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritu ...
in
Buddhist cosmology
Buddhist cosmology describes the planes and realms in which beings can be reborn. The spatial cosmology consists of a vertical cosmology, the various planes of beings, into which beings are reborn due to their merits and development; and a hori ...
. On display are relics and statues of the Buddha from several eras such as Lopburi,
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
,
Lanna
The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...
and
Rattanakosin. The walls are decorated with paintings depicting the cosmos.
See also
*
Ancient Siam
Ancient Siam (also known as Ancient City, th, เมืองโบราณ, Mueang Boran) is a museum park constructed by Lek Viriyaphant and occupying over in the shape of Thailand.
Ancient Siam is dubbed as the world's largest outdoor mu ...
*
List of museums in Thailand
This is a list of museums in Thailand.
See also
* List of provinces of Thailand
* List of natural history museums in Thailand
* Tourism in Thailand
* Culture of Thailand
{{Asia topic, List of museums in
Museums
*List
Thailand
Museums
M ...
*
List of museums and art galleries in Bangkok
References
*
*
*
{{coord, 13, 37, 42, N, 100, 35, 20, E, type:landmark_region:TH, display=title
Buildings and structures in Samut Prakan province
Art museums and galleries in Thailand
Tourist attractions in Samut Prakan province
Thai contemporary art