What surprises the temples of Thailand - pearls of ancient and modern art

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Thailand's popularity among tourists is increasing from year to year. This is facilitated by the delightful nature, the incredible hospitality of the inhabitants, as well as the beautiful and unusual architecture of numerous Temples. There are a huge number of religious buildings in Thailand. Visiting temples is by all means included in the excursion program - and for good reason. There is something to see here.

Temple for meditation and temple for atonement

An ancient temple complex is located on Mount Doi Suthep. It is not easy to climb to it - a long steep staircase leads here. It is believed that a pilgrim who has made an ascent to the temple is cleansed of all his sins. In front of the entrance to the pagoda, there is a statue of an elephant - it was he, according to legend, who indicated the place for the construction of the temple, back in the XIV century.

In the center of the complex, a golden stupa has been erected, which contains a sacred relic - the shoulder bone of the Buddha, brought by a monk from Sukhothai. Next to the stupa there are chapels in which statues of Buddha (in different versions) are installed, as well as four giant openwork golden umbrellas. The temple complex is surrounded by pristine jungle, which is home to a huge number of bird species. The long staircase offers magnificent views of the many waterfalls. The staircase itself is very beautiful, its railings are stylized as statues of nagas - mythical creatures in the form of snakes.

Many temples in Thailand are built on the heights. The cave temple Wat Phu Tok is no exception. It can be reached by climbing seven levels of stairs built of wood. Each level symbolizes a stage in a person's spiritual development. This temple is a great place for meditation. The interior of the temple is striking in its restraint (which is not typical for Thai temples) and exquisite beauty. Inside there are many rooms used by local monks to practice meditation.

An unusual temple built of wood

On Cape Laem Ratchavet, there is the world's largest wooden temple, which was built without the use of nails - the Temple of Truth. It is collected from valuable tree species. Its height is 105 meters. Literally every centimeter of the temple is decorated with all kinds of carved wooden sculptures. The plots of the sculptural compositions are taken from the religious teachings of Thailand, India, China, Cambodia.

The Temple of Truth is not ancient. Its construction was started in 1981 by a philanthropist, millionaire Viriy Apkhan. A beautiful legend says that the date of his death was predicted to the millionaire, which coincides with the date of the completion of the construction of the temple. He died in 2000, but the temple is not finished yet. The construction is continued by the son of the patron.

The temple is crowned with five spiers decorated with intricate carvings. At the top of the highest, central spire, is the sculpture of the last Bodhisattva on horseback. He shows believers the path to follow and the goal to strive for. After all, he himself was able to achieve enlightenment already in modern times, and become the fifth Buddha.

On four spiers are located: a man-deity with a lotus, symbolizing the inviolability of religion; a woman deity with a book symbolizing morality and teaching; deity, a symbol of life, depicted with a child in her arms and leading the elderly; divine woman with a dove in her hands, which has a rice ear in its beak. It symbolizes balance, peace and prosperity.

The temple houses halls dedicated to various currents of Buddhism. The hall of Chinese Buddhism is decorated with figures of people who attained enlightenment, but abandoned nirvana, in order to save other people - Bodhisattvas.

The Cambodian Hall contains sculptures dedicated to the family. People come here to ask the deities for family well-being. Having touched the knee of a statue of a mother or father, they ask for the well-being of their parents, and rubbing the baby's handle - for an addition to the family.

In the Thai hall, there are sculptures of avatars responsible for different days of the week. Sunday personifies the biggest of them - after all, it was on Sunday that the king of Thailand was born. In the Indian hall there are images of the four main elements: Water, Fire, Air and Earth. Water is symbolized by waves, Earth - by animals and plants, Fire - comes out of the dragon's jaws, and Air is symbolized by trees swaying from the wind. In addition, various episodes from the life of Krishna are depicted here. The number of carved sculptures in the temple is amazing, but the temple is not finished, the carvers continue their work.

Wat Rong Khun White Temple

In the city of Chiang Rai, the White Temple is located, which has become the most valuable pearl from the delightful necklace of temples in Thailand. This is a private temple, which is also a contemporary art gallery. It belongs to the artist and sculptor Chalermchay Kositpipat. The temple was built according to his project, on the site of an ancient temple that could no longer be restored.

The structure looks like it was made of snow - the temple is completely white, and the mirrored stakes look like shards of ice. It is especially beautiful in the rays of the rising and setting sun, which paints it in a pale pink color.

The building of the temple is located in the center of a small lake in which goldfish splash. You can enter the temple by breaking the bridge, which is laid through Hell, from which the hands of sinners stretch out. This installation should remind people of what awaits them if they do not stop doing bad deeds.

There are still few sculptures inside the temple, the walls are painted by the artist - the owner of the temple. The paintings depict the struggle between good and evil in a modern interpretation: scenes from the films "Star Wars", "The Matrix", "Avatar" are skillfully intertwined with scenes from the life of Buddha. The appearance of the temple is still more interesting. There are many unusual sculptures and fountains on its territory.

Incredibly beautiful and unusual temples

The very unusual temple of Wat Sri Subhan is located in Chiang Mai. It is called Silver because it is covered inside and outside with silver-plated embossings. Even on a cloudy day, it shines with a mysterious moonlight. This is an ancient temple that was built in the 15th-16th centuries. It was built of pure silver, but this is his misfortune - the temple was plundered several times by the conquerors, they tried to destroy it.

The temple was rebuilt already in the 20th century, with the participation of artists from Australia and Great Britain. Chased images illustrate the daily life of Thais, as well as stories from the life of the Buddha. There is a workshop on the territory of the temple, where they produce chased paintings on metal and silver according to ancient Thai traditions. After all, it is no less important than preserving the temple, preserving the most valuable knowledge and traditions of the people.

Wat Ban Rai Temple was built in 2013. It stands in the middle of the lake, and is made in the shape of an elephant. The temple is incredibly beautiful, both outside and inside. It is decorated with colorful mosaic pieces (at least 20 million pieces).

The temple was built according to the project of the famous and respected monk in Thailand Luang For Khun, on the site of a Buddhist monastery. A huge elephant is girdled with many-headed naga, whose tails are intertwined behind the temple. The figure of an elephant is incredibly colorful and worked out to the smallest detail. The color combination is great. Each pillar and wall is decorated with unique characters that do not repeat itself.

Inside, the temple has three levels, which symbolize the underwater, earthly and heavenly worlds. On the roof of the temple there is a statue of a golden Buddha, and under it is a statue of the creator of the temple himself. And also, from the roof there is a wonderful view of the valley in which the temple is located.

In Bangkok, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River is the Temple of the Morning Dawn. It was built in the middle of the 17th century and is dedicated to Arun, the Indian god of dawn. The temple was rebuilt two more times. The temple consists of five towers - chedi. The tallest tower is located in the center. It is decorated with ceramic images of monkeys and demons. It offers a magnificent view of the capital, but in order to see everything, you need to overcome a very steep staircase and climb eighty meters high. The staircase symbolizes the complexity of human life on the path to excellence.

Outside, the temple is covered with ceramic tiles and multi-colored porcelain mosaics. This temple housed a statue of the Emerald Buddha, and at one time, it was even the residence of kings. Tourists are amazed by a variety of Buddha statues, as well as the decoration of the temple. On a cloudy day, the towers are gray, but as soon as the sun appears, they begin to shine with all the colors of the rainbow.