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

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 ...

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.

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

Museum

See also

References