Wat Rong Khun ( th, วัดร่องขุ่น), better known as the White Temple, is a privately owned art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple in Pa O Don Chai, Mueang District, Chiang Rai Province,

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 b ...

. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat, 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 calm ...

and for people to gain benefit from the Buddhist teachings. Kositpipat considers the temple to be an offering to

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 L ...

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, 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 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

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, Neo from ''

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'',

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, and a T-800 series

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. 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, Superman, and

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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

References

External links

*https://www.facebook.com/วัดร่องขุ่น-Wat-Rong-Khun-White-Temple-Chiang-Rai-Thailand-215028701875011/
An image galleryWat Rong Khun - White Temple of Northern Thailand

White Temple Chiang Rai
{{Coord, 19, 49.480, N, 99, 45.800, E, type:landmark_region:TH, display=title Visionary environments Tourist attractions in Chiang Rai province Sculptures in Thailand Thai contemporary art