Sala Keoku ( th, ศาลาแก้วกู่; ; , also spelled as Sala Keo Ku, Sala Keo Koo, Sala Kaew Ku, Sala Kaew Koo, Salakaewkoo, Sala Gaew Goo, Sala Kaeoku, etc. Alternative name: Wat Khaek) is a park featuring giant

fantastic The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, characte ...

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

inspired by

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. It is located near

Nong Khai Nong Khai ( th, เทศบาลเมืองหนองคาย, ) is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district. Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

in immediate proximity of the

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

- Lao border and the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

river. The park has been built by and reflects the vision of

Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat Bunleua Sulilat (June 7, 1932 – August 10, 1996; often referred to as Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat; th, หลวงปู่บุญเหลือ สุรีรัตน์, , ; numerous variants of the spelling exist in Western languages ...

and his followers. The construction started in 1978. It shares the style of Sulilat's earlier creation,

Buddha Park Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan (as well as other variations of the spelling), is a sculpture park 25 km southeast from Vientiane, Laos in a meadow by the Mekong River. Although it is not a temple ('' Wat''), it may be referred to as Wat X ...

on the Lao side of

, but is marked by even more extravagant fantasy and greater proportions. Some of the Sala Keoku sculptures reach 25m. Those include a monumental depiction of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

meditating under the protection of a seven-headed

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

snake. While the subject (based on a Buddhist legend) is one of the recurrent themes in the religious art of the region, Sulilat's approach is unusual, with its naturalistic (even though stylized) representation of the snakes. The Sala Keoku pavilion is a three-story

building, whose domes bear a resemblance to a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

. It was constructed following Sulilat's plans after his death. The third floor houses related artifacts, as well as Sulilat's mummified body. Perhaps the most enigmatic part of the park is the Wheel of Life, a circular multi-part group of sculptures representing the

karmic Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...

cycle of birth and death through a progression of

tarot The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, ...

-like characters. The composition culminates with a young man taking a step across the fence surrounding the entire installation to become a

Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in ...

on the other side.

References

*John Maizels, Deidi von Schaewen (photo), Angelika Taschen (ed.), ''Fantasy Worlds'',

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Taschen Comics, pu ...

(2007), pp. 220–221. *John Maizels (ed.), ''Raw Vision Outsider Art Sourcebook'', Raw Vision Ltd (2002), pp. 98–99.

External links

Collected Images From Bunleua Sulilat's Sculpture GardensTourist Attractions Presented By The Team Of Phang Nga Jang
*http://www.mutmee.net/030010_sculpture_park.htm *http://johnpseely.com/travelarticles/thailand/mysticgarden.php *http://www.mnmuseumofthems.org/Envr/Sala.html *http://www.pbase.com/gaiyang46/a_tale_of_two_temples *http://garden-buddha-sculpture.blogspot.com/ *http://sala-saeoku.blogspot.com/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20070525185745/http://www.xs4all.nl/~sasseng/kaek.htm

{{Coord, 17, 53, 12.84, N, 102, 46, 56.16, E, region:TH-43_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Visionary environments Thai art Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in Asia Colossal Buddha statues Buildings and structures in Nong Khai province Tourist attractions in Thailand Outdoor sculptures in Thailand

See also

References

External links