Wat Rong Khun ( th, วัดร่องขุ่น), better known as the White Temple, is a privately owned art exhibit in the style of a
Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
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 ...
. It is owned by
Chalermchai Kositpipat
Chalermchai Kositpipat ( th, เฉลิมชัย โฆษิตพิพัฒน์, ; ; born 15 February 1955) is a Thai visual artist. Primarily a painter, Chalermchai's works have been exhibited worldwide, and he is known for his use of ...
, who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997.
History
By the end of the 20th century, the original Wat Rong Khun was in a bad state of repair. Funds were not available for renovation. Chalermchai Kositpipat, a local artist from Chiang Rai, decided to completely rebuild the temple and fund the project with his own money. To date, Chalermchai has spent THB 1,080 million on the project. The artist intends for the area adjacent to the temple to be a center of learning and
meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...
Lord Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a 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 born in Lu ...
and believes the project will give him immortal life. Today the works are ongoing, but are not expected to be completed until 2070.
Structures and symbolism
When completed, the white temple compound will have nine buildings, including the existing
ubosot
The ordination hall is a Buddhist building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual ('' upasampada'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Patimokkha. The ordination hall ...
, a hall of relics, a meditation hall, an art gallery, and living quarters for monks.
The bridge of "the cycle of rebirth"
The main building at the white temple, the ubosot, is reached by crossing a bridge over a small lake. In front of the bridge are hundreds of outreaching hands that symbolize unrestrained desire. The bridge proclaims that the way to happiness is by foregoing temptation, greed, and desire. Next to the lake stand two very elegant
Kinnaree
A kinnara is a celestial musician, part human and part bird, who are musically paradigmatic lovers, in Hinduism and Buddhism. In these traditions, the ''kinnaras'' (male) and ''kinnaris'' (female counterpart) are two of the most beloved myth ...
, half-human, half-bird creatures from Buddhist mythology.
Gate of Heaven
After crossing the bridge, the visitor arrives at the "gate of heaven", guarded by two creatures representing Death and
Rahu
Rāhu (Sanskrit: राहु, 16px, ☊) is one of the nine major celestial bodies (navagraha) in Hindu texts and the king of meteors. It represents the ascension of the moon in its precessional orbit around the earth, also referred as the ...
, who decides the fate of the dead. In front of the ubosot are several meditative Buddha images.
The golden building
A structure that stands out because of its color is the rest rooms building. Another very ornately decorated structure, this golden building represents the body, whereas the white ubosot represents the mind. The gold symbolizes how people focus on worldly desires and money. The white building represents the idea to make merit and to focus on the mind, instead of material things and possession.
Ubosot
The principal building, the ubosot is an all-white building with fragments of mirrored glass embedded in the building's exterior. The ubosot embodies design elements from classic Thai architecture such as the three-tiered roof and abundant use of
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 ...
serpents. "Inside the temple, the decor swiftly moves from pristine white to fiery and bewildering. Murals depict swirling orange flames and demon faces, interspersed with Western idols such as
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...
'',
Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit ...
, and a
T-800 T8 or T-8 may refer to the following:
Measurement
* T8, a Torx screwhead size
* T8, a 1 inch fluorescent lamp size
* A tornado intensity rating on the TORRO scale
Biology
* The 8th thoracic vertebra
* The T8 spinal nerve
Transportation
* Trikk ...
series
Terminator
Terminator may refer to:
Science and technology
Genetics
* Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription
* Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...
. Images of nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks such as the World Trade Center attack, and oil pumps hammer home the destructive impact that humans have had on earth. The presence of
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
,
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
, and
Hello Kitty
, also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...
confuses the message somewhat, but the overall moral is clear: people are wicked.
2014 earthquake
On 5 May 2014 at 18:08 (local time), the temple was damaged by the earthquake in Mae Lao that struck the province. It was planned to be closed indefinitely. Chalermchai said on 6 May that he would demolish the structures for safety reasons and would not rebuild it.
On May 7, after an engineering expert team inspected and affirmed that all buildings in the compound were structurally unharmed by the quake, Chalermchai announced that he would restore the temple to its original state in two years and promised to devote his life to the work. He also announced that the temple area will be open to visitors from 8 May. The gallery building opened shortly thereafter. But for some buildings, specifically, ubosot itself, visitors are only allowed to take pictures outside.
Visiting
The structure is open year-round. Donations are accepted, but are not to exceed THB 10,000, as Chalermchai refuses to be influenced by big donors.
Gallery
Image:Wat Rong Khun-pano-1.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-pano-2.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-001.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-002.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-003.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-004.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-005.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-006.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-007.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-008.jpg
File:Wat Rong Khun Hell.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-009.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-010.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-011.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun-012.jpg
Image:Wat Rong Khun wall painting.jpg
Image:White Temple_panorama.jpg
See also
*
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 ...
/
Sala Keoku
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 con ...
/
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 Xi ...
*
Lek Viriyaphant
Lek Viriyaphan ( th, เล็ก วิริยะพันธุ์, sometimes referred to as Khun Lek; 1914 – 17 November 2000) was an eccentric Thai businessman, millionaire and patron of culture responsible for the construction of Ancie ...
/
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 ...
/
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 ...
Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew
Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew ( th, วัดป่ามหาเจดีย์แก้ว; , literally ''Wilderness Temple of the Great Glass Pagoda''), also known as the Temple of a Million Bottles, is a Buddhist temple in Khun Han district of Sisa ...
*
Visionary environments {{Short description, Type of artistic installation
A visionary environment or fantasy world is a large artistic installation, often on the scale of a building or sculpture parks, intended to express a vision of its creator. The subjective and pers ...
*
Hsinbyume Pagoda
The Hsinbyume Pagoda ( my, ဆင်ဖြူမယ်စေတီ ; also known as Myatheindan Pagoda ( )) is a large pagoda on the northern side of Mingun in Sagaing Region in Myanmar, on the western bank of the Irrawaddy River. It is approximate ...
– White pagoda in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
*
Le Palais idéal
Ferdinand Cheval (19 April 1836 – 19 August 1924), often nicknamed Facteur Cheval ("Mail Carrier Cheval") was a France, French mail carrier who spent 33 years building Le Palais idéal (the "Ideal Palace") in Hauterives, in southeastern Franc ...