White temple in chiang rai city thailand. The White Temple of Thailand (Wat Rong Khun) is a beautiful fairy tale in the flesh

Wat Rong Khun ( Wat Rong Khun is a Buddhist temple 13 kilometers from the city of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. Because of its unusual appearance Wat Rong Khun is often referred to as the "White Temple". The construction of the temple in 1997 was started at his own expense by the famous Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat (b. 1955), who decided to refuse the help of the state and sponsors so that no one could infringe on the freedom of his creativity. A total of nine buildings are planned to be built in the temple complex. Construction is still ongoing, but Wat Rong Khun is already attracting a large number of tourists.

As conceived by the artist, the white color of the temple symbolizes the purity of the Buddha. The windows through which light enters the temple symbolize the light of Buddha's wisdom, illuminating the world.

The temple itself is a symbol of nirvana, which can only be achieved through suffering. Therefore, under the bridge leading to the temple, there are sculptures of unfortunate sufferers - Narakas, who are punished for their sins in the Buddhist purgatory - Naraka. Naraki raise their hands, sometimes with begging bowls, in the hope of help and salvation. The circle with fangs is the mouth of the demon Rahu, who, according to myths, swallowed the Sun and the Moon.

On the territory of the temple complex there are other sculptural images of other mythological characters of Buddhism and, of course, images of the Buddha.

On the roof of the temple you can see four animals, symbolizing the four elements: the Elephant is a symbol of the earth, the swan is the wind, the mythological naga snakes are water and the lion is fire.

Inside the temple there are paintings on the theme of the struggle between good and evil, which in Buddhism is personified by the demon Mara, who at one time tried to lead the Buddha himself astray from the path of enlightenment. The mural presents the September 11 tragedy in a peculiar way, you can also see such modern heroes as Neo from The Matrix or Spider-Man.

white temple in Thailand - one of the places we have long wanted to go. You know, when there is something like a wish list, and gradually put a tick in front of the completed items. Well, another goal has come true!

We came here by bus from Chiang Rai (detailed information on how to get to the temple at the end of the post), and there - from where we rode bikes to the observation point of the Golden Triangle.

White temple in Thailand - Wat Rong Khun

This very unusual building attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world, well, we did not stand aside :-) The construction of the temple began in 1977 according to the design of the artist Chalermchayu Kositpipat, and is currently ongoing, just like in.

The artist has developed a project for 90 years, and gradually transfers the work to his students, so that they then continue to work on the temple.

Already on the way we meet such dividing columns

Near Wat Rong Khun

At the entrance, a character from Alien extends his hands in greeting, sort of. Agree, it's a bit strange to see all this near a Buddhist temple?! But how interesting!

Scary mask

The White Temple is made in an unusual manner, not typical of Buddhist architecture, from white materials and small pieces of glass. Looking at it, you remember the ice towns in Siberia, it seems as if it is standing in the heat from the snow and does not melt!

Such a path leads to the entrance to Wat Rong Khun - as if through hell and suffering, to the Buddha.

Basically, hell is represented by hands, money, monkeys. A little more detail:

Material world

Pass by the material and meet formidable warriors

Warriors, Chiang Rai Temple

Here are the little pieces of glass that make it shimmer in the sun

The White Temple in Thailand is actually something out of the ordinary! How much is there

It’s forbidden to take pictures inside, everything is quite minimalistic there, which you don’t even expect when you see all the splendor from the outside. On the walls eternal theme confrontation between good and evil, and with characters from The Matrix, Star Wars and other modern films organically inscribed in it. There is even September 11th. Interesting!

In addition to the temple itself, there are several other buildings on the territory, a pond with fish

Trees with metal petals, which can be bought at the nearest shop

People throw coins into the well and make wishes - if it hits the center, the wish will come true. In the same way, Thais funny throw coins at the Big Buddha on Koh Samui, hoping that they will hit the palm of their hand.

There are many benches in the shade on the territory, it is nice to relax after all these walks. This is the building...you'll never guess what it is! Toilet!

The White Temple in Thailand is a place that met our expectations one hundred percent! Must see!

White temple Wat Rong Khun in Thailand - useful information

Location: The temple is located a few kilometers south of Chiang Rai, right on Route 1.

Login and work mode: from 07.00 to 17.00 (until 18.00 in the high season from November to February). The entrance is free!

White Temple Chiang Rai - how to get there?

Getting to the temple is easy, it is located almost by the highway.

• By your own transport: drive south from Chiang Rai on Highway 1 for about 12 km, don't miss it))

• By public transport: from the bus station in Chiang Rai by any bus towards Chiang Mai, Phayao, Lampang, Bangkok. There is a special bus, we just rode on this one, the fare is 20 baht, the journey takes 20-30 minutes.

Bus Chiang Rai - White Temple Wat Rong Khun

And now a few words about Thai hitchhiking again - we decided to get from the White Temple to Chiang Mai in this way. We went out onto the track, raised our hand, when the bus suddenly stopped. We wave, they say, go on, there is no money! But the female conductor insistently asked to sit down :-)

Come on, dear!

They said again, made sure that she understood what we were talking about. The aunty conductor was positive, she alarmed the whole bus, then she asked the guy to write something on an A4 sheet. It turned out that they wrote in Thai “Chiang Mai. No money".

Sign for a good hitchhiking

We ourselves thought to get a similar sign, but then she fell into our hands herself, thanks to the active aunt-conductor of the bus.

Communication

In less than 5 minutes, we were already driving in a car to Chiang Mai! The guys did not really understand English, but they saw our Thai sign and stopped. They were ordinary young people, hung with gadgets and constantly calling somewhere. We talked about this and that, as much as possible))

Thank you Thais! Thailand, we love you!

Wat Rong Khun Temple is a non-traditional Buddhist temple located in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. Among tourists, it is better known as the "White Temple", and really looking at it, you can see that it was not for nothing that it was called that, it blinds the eyes with its whiteness and brilliance.

The owner of this white temple, as well as its creator, is the famous Thai artist - Chalermchai Kositpipat (Chalermchai Kositpipat). The construction of the temple began in 1997 and continues to this day. It is noteworthy that he builds the White Temple with his own money, which he collected for 20 years by selling his paintings. He does not take money from sponsors, so that they do not influence his ideas in any way and do not impose their conditions. Naturally, the creation of such a project is beyond the capacity of one person, his ideas are embodied by a whole team, led by the chief engineer, who is the brother of Chalermchai. As the artist himself says, nothing and no one will prevent him from making his dream come true, except perhaps death itself. He sincerely believes that the construction of Wat Rong Khun will provide him " eternal life". Most likely, it will be so, because as long as his paintings and this temple live, this talented artist, and now also the architect, will live in people's memory.

The White Temple is the main building of the temple complex, it is painted white and covered with a mosaic of mirrors and symbolizes the purity of the Buddha, according to the author's idea, the temple is a symbol of Paradise. To get to it, you need to go through the gates of Hell along the path of suffering and doubt, where hands stretch from both sides of the path, this is an eerie sight to the will. Then we pass through the fangs and mouth of Rahu (according to myths, this is a serpent demon that devours the sun during eclipses), then across the bridge over the pond, symbolizing the river separating the worlds.

Passing to the Wat Rong Khun temple, you will be met by many figures and statues along the way, the roof is decorated with various animals symbolizing natural elements, you can look at it for a long, long time, everything is so beautiful that you can go to the temple itself for a very long time. But still, curiosity about what is inside this mysterious and mysterious temple overcomes us and we go to it. The fact that the people are already inside is overgrown with legends, since it is impossible to go there with photographic equipment, it is forbidden, as the inscriptions in front of the entrance to the building say.

The building houses two statues of Buddha and a large image of him, the opposite wall is decorated with paintings by the artist himself, which identifies the eternal battle between good and evil. Instead of images of heroes battling demons, the artist decided to take a contemporary manifestation of good and evil and put it in a Buddhist context. In this picture, you can see modern heroes fighting evil, such as Batman, Superman and even Keanu Reeves as Neo from the Matrix, Jedi from Star Wars, as well as various monsters and robots, and all these plots are combined by the demon Mara, who in Buddhist mythology personifies temptation and consistently tries to hinder the search for the Buddha of enlightenment. The side walls are not yet complete, but you can already see the scene when the plane crashed into the twin towers, on the other wall you can see spaceships and a scene depicting the catastrophe event of the destruction of the earth.

The territory of the temple itself is well ennobled. There are many fountains, bizarre sculptures, among which there are many dragons which are very fond of in Asia and other various mythological creatures. Near the pond in which beautiful fish swim, you can see sculptures of fairy princesses. Each sculpture in the park is unique and has its own meaning.

The walls of the temple and numerous sculptures are made of alabaster, painted white and inlaid with mirror mosaics, thanks to which it sparkles in the sun. The temple complex is located on an area of ​​about three hectares of land. So far, three buildings have been placed on the territory of the complex - this is the white temple itself, an art gallery, and the third building is no less remarkable than the White Temple, it is golden in color, like the royal chambers and, oddly enough, is a public toilet. According to the author's idea, it is planned to build six more buildings: a monastery, a chapel, a pavilion, a museum, a pagoda, a sermon hall and a rest room.

To visit Wat Rong Khun, it is better not to wear short skirts, shorts, legs should be covered, if for some reason you still came to the temple in forbidden clothes and you don’t have anything with you to cover your legs, it doesn’t matter, You will be given wide trousers and skirts at the entrance to cover your unnecessarily bare legs. Entrance to Wat Rong Khu is free, but tourists visiting the temple can donate money for development or you can buy paintings by Chalermchai Kositpipat in the art gallery, but since the paintings are expensive and not everyone can afford to buy them, in this case you can buy postcards or souvenirs. Also nearby near the temple complex are tourist shops and cafes where you can have a bite to eat.

Tourists from all over the world come to this amazing and unusual place to look at the beautiful creation of human hands.

Thailand Futuristic Temple Wat Rong Khun May 4th, 2013

Wat Rong Khun, or the White Temple, by artist Chalermchai Kasitpipat, is a very beautiful structure, despite being built by an enthusiast with his own money.

Seeing for the first time images of the “White Temple”, also known as Wat Rong Khun, you can decide that this is just high-quality computer graphics. The architecture of the building is so unique that the reality of the temple is simply unbelievable! However, the “White Temple” is quite real and is located in the north of Thailand.

Wat Rong Khun is one of the most unique structures in Thailand. Unusual architecture and dozens (if not hundreds) of snow-white alabaster sculptures amaze tourists from the very first minutes!

The White Temple, as a symbol of the purity of the Buddha and nirvana, a reminder of the eternal struggle between good and evil, was launched in 1998 and should consist of 9 buildings. For more than 12 years, construction has been going on, and Chalermchai believes that the final project will be completed in about 90 years. During this time, he will have time to die, and after his death, young architects will complete the long-term construction.
It is interesting that the artist Chalermchai directs all the funds from the sale of his paintings to the construction, completely refusing sponsorship so that no one can influence his plans and imagination. He has already invested several million dollars in the temple. True, there is some doubt that so many talents could be concentrated in one person in order to manage to paint the interiors of Wat Rong Khun on their own, maintain the entire infrastructure in good condition and, moreover, manage to earn a living. He probably still accepts donations, especially since the religious building turned out to be truly unearthly beauty. And for this you need to devote a lot of time to design.

The temple is located in the province of Chiang Rai, in a place called Amphuar. The construction of the temple began relatively recently (in 1998), and some objects are still under construction. One of the initiators of the construction is a certain Kositpipat Chalermchai, who in Thailand was called the modern Salvador Dali. It was the drawings and drawings of this artist that served as the basis for creating the image of the White Temple. In addition, the man fully sponsors the construction of the temple, and almost all the construction objects were built exclusively at his expense! The artist himself answers questions about financing that he builds the temple with his own money due to the fact that in this way no one can dictate his terms to him. In general, the “White Temple” is a living embodiment of the fantasies of a Thai artist. Naturally, such large-scale work is definitely beyond the capacity of one person, so Kositpipat attracted his brother to the work, whom he appointed as the chief engineer of an ambitious project.

The artist himself, Chalermchai Kasitpipata, answers questions about financing that he is building the temple with his own money due to the fact that in this way no one can dictate his terms to him. In general, the “White Temple” is a living embodiment of the fantasies of a Thai artist. Naturally, such large-scale work is definitely beyond the capacity of one person, so Kositpipat attracted his brother to the work, whom he appointed as the chief engineer of an ambitious project.

The territory of the temple itself is well ennobled. There are many fountains, bizarre sculptures, and beautiful fish swimming in a small pond. It is worth noting that the entrance to the territory of the temple is absolutely free!

The meaning of the compositions of most of the sculptures is very difficult to understand. Here you have dragons so familiar to Asia, and hundreds of hands that reach out to you, as if wanting to grab. Moreover, if dragons are depicted as very peaceful creatures, then the hand sculptures are rather sinister!

Inside the temple is no less interesting than outside. There are several sculptures and images of Buddha here, but the highlight of the temple's interior is a painting that depicts a battle between good and evil! In addition to standard plots, there was a place on the canvas for modern heroes, such as Neo from The Matrix (the artist considers Keanu Reeves his favorite actor), Jedi from Star Wars, robots and various monsters! And all this surrealism is in good harmony with the images of the Buddha and his disciples! Photography inside the temple is strictly prohibited.

The aforementioned picture Kositpipat Chalermchai created for three years. Talking about his creation, the artist notes that he tried to show the eternal truths (good and evil) in understandable images for modern man. Here is such an unusual interpretation!

Located in the province of Chiang Rai, Wat Rong Khun is different from other temples in Thailand in many ways. Made in white, it seems to emphasize the purity of the Buddha, and the sparkling glass speaks of the wisdom of the Buddha shining both on earth and in the entire Universe. Each element and architectural form carries some kind of semantic load. For example, the bridge is seen as a transition from the endless cycles of rebirth to the abode of the Buddha, and the semicircle in front of the bridge symbolizes the earthly world.

The murals of the temple also deserve a few words. In religious scenes, the author uses modern plots from the films "The Matrix", "Star Wars", as well as high-profile incidents - for example, the September 9 terrorist attack in the United States. According to the guide, the artist thus wants to reach out to the minds of young people, talking to them in their own language. It is doubtful that such illustrations would incline anyone to more religiosity, but it looks unusual and fresh. The rest of the murals that adorn the temple mainly depict attempts to avoid earthly temptations and achieve nirvana.

On the roof are animals, each of which personifies earth, air, water and fire.

According to tourists who visited this miracle of cult architecture, the splendor of the temple is simply amazing, it is good at dawn, when the first rays of the sun glide over the roof of the temple, and against the backdrop of a clear clear sky, and at sunset, and even at night, illuminated by the moon.

The White Temple combines a beautiful blend of traditional Buddhist art with contemporary design. The completely white walls and sculptures sparkle, reflecting the shades of dawn and evening sunset. The walls are decorated with small pieces of mirror glass, which gives the structure a heavenly airiness and a magical look.

Here is another interpretation of this architecture: The main building is surrounded by a pond with white fish. The bridge leading to the temple represents the cycle of rebirths on the way to the abode of the Buddha. The circle with fangs in front of the bridge symbolizes the mouth of Rahu, representing the circles of hell and suffering. In front of the chapels and at the end of the bridge are several sculptures of Buddha in the lotus position surrounded by the spirits of the world. Inside the temple, the walls are in golden tones, in the center of the golden flame is the altar of the Buddha. Four animals are depicted on the four walls, symbolizing the four elements: the elephant stands on the ground, the naga stands above the water, the wings of the swan represent the wind, and the lion's mane represents fire.

His White Temple is a symbol of paradise, where a narrow bridge leads across a river full of sinners. It is important to know that, having entered the Temple on the bridge, it is no longer possible to return back along it - you end up back in hell. Each sculpture, each detail in this carved snow-white splendor has a certain meaning and purpose, starting with the white color of the Temple itself - a symbol of the purity of the Buddha, and glass interspersed in everything around - a symbol of the wisdom of the Buddha, which shines brightly throughout the Earth and the Universe.

Kositpipat Chalermchai created this picture for three years. As the guide girl explained, such images, unusual for the temple, are explained by the fact that the artist wants to show the eternal truths in a language that is more understandable and close to the modern young generation, hence such an unusual interpretation.

No less symbolic is the interior of the White Temple. The walls here are painted in Chalemchay's favorite style. Visitors are presented with an impressive painting, symbolizing the struggle between the forces of Evil and Good. Here you can see Neo and Superman, rockets flying into space, a Hydra that looks like a gas station hose and devouring twin towers, cars, mobile phones and laser-shooting planes. All these themes, unusual for temples, are succinctly inscribed in national motifs, making it possible to present eternal truths clearly and in a language understandable to modern young people.

Around the temple there are many unusual alabaster-mirror sculptures that amaze the imagination of visitors.

Opposite the White Temple is the Golden Temple, which turns out to be just a public toilet. Here is such an unusual view of the artist on things!

Also on the territory there is a gallery where you can see other works of the artist and buy yourself some souvenir as a keepsake of visiting such an unusual place.

The work on the decoration of the temple is still ongoing. Nearby is a workshop where amazing sculptures are created.

Also in Chiang Rai there is another interesting creation of the unusual artist Kositpipat Chalermchai - this is a clock, looking at which there is no doubt about who created it.

Wat Rong Khun is not a temple at all in the standard sense of the word. There are no monks here. They don't come here to pray. It would be more correct to call Rong Khun an art object that, on a Buddhist basis, assimilated the multidimensionality modern world. Despite the fact that the temple is not canonical, its symbolism for a Westerner is more understandable than the meaning of traditional temples in Thailand.

If you are interested in modern art, then this temple (it is called "white") should be visited. You will be able to see an eclectic fusion of Buddhism, traditional Thai architecture, pop art and science fiction.

Temple history

Thailand has a huge number of traditional Buddhist temples. All of them form the core of Thai culture and are included in the excursion program of any tourist. Old temples have their undoubted advantages: they are all places of worship, in which the walls and the earth breathe history. But the world is changing. Just like the people who inhabit the earth. Modern people it is difficult to understand the meaning of Buddhism by visiting old temples. They need to show Buddhist ideas more visually.

Chalermchai Kositpipat, a millionaire Thai artist, argued something like this. He proposed to reconstruct Wat Rong Khun Temple, which was in a deplorable state near his hometown of Chiang Rai. Permission has been granted. The artist was given the territory of a dilapidated temple complex. In 1997, at his own expense, he began to implement a grandiose architectural and artistic project.

For two decades, a group of artists led by Kositpipat has been working on a unique architectural complex. During this time it was visited by more than 5 million people. Considering that the white temple in Thailand is located almost at the Burmese border, not in the very tourist area of ​​the country, far from Chiang Rai, then this figure is more than telling.

The work is planned to continue until 2070. It costs a lot of money. The Thai government does not provide funds. Symbolic money is earned through the sale of souvenirs with the image of the temple and its ideological inspirer, as well as in the form of donations from visitors and individuals.

Here is what Chalermchai Kositpipat himself says: “Money and things are worthless. They are not mine. They only allow me to act in accordance with my beliefs.”

Symbolism of the temple

Every detail of the temple complex has its own meaning and allows visitors to see the Buddhist teachings. Everything here is designed to turn a person’s attention to ordinary surrounding things: to take a different look at worldly temptations depicted in bizarre figures, to focus on consciousness, and not on material things.

Symbolism of color

In the external design are mainly used:

• high-strength white alabaster (gypsum);
• small pieces of mirrors.

Mirror fragments are superimposed on an alabaster base. Thereby, temple complex shimmers in the sun so much that sometimes you want to look away. With the help of this technique, the artist not only showed the purity of the mind of the Buddha and the superiority spiritual world over the material. The light shining in the mirrors symbolizes the ability of any person to reflect the kindness of other people.

Although white color prevails in the design of the temple grounds, it is not the only color used. There are many gilded, red, green and other colors outside the temple. They symbolize worldly existence, human vices. Here, hideous-looking sculptures, hanging heads, skeletons and demons holding cigarette packs and replicas of alcohol bottles await.

The concept of the complex is such that first visitors see art objects related to worldly life. And only after that, guests can enter the territory of the white temple. Thus, the artist makes you feel the difference between the consciousness of an ordinary person and the enlightenment of the Buddha.

Pond

Like many other temples in Thailand, Rong Khun is surrounded by a pond in which several dozen large fish live. It is customary to feed them: for a fee, you can buy special food. It is impressive and liked by both adults and children.

Wat Rong Khun itself includes several installation objects that visitors pass on their way to the temple. It:

• hell pit
• Gateway to heaven

hell pit

Hundreds of human hands sticking out of the pit under their feet on both sides of the road symbolize desires and passions. Overcoming them, according to the Buddhist concept, means the path to happiness. The twisted faces of the demons follow the incoming gaze and check how ready everyone is for purification.

Several hands emerging from the pit are holding iron pots into which passers-by throw coins. They say that this is an effective way to say goodbye to your sins and start a new life.

Bridge over the wheel of rebirth

The concentric circle under the bridge and two large stylized horns sticking out of the ground symbolize the transition from a cycle of uninterrupted rebirths to a free state without suffering.

According to the third truth of Buddhism, this is achieved only by giving up desires.

Gateway to heaven

Having given up all their desires, visitors find themselves in front of the gates to paradise. They are guarded by statues: on the left - Rahu (those in whose power is the fate of a person) and on the right - Death (those in whose power is a person's life).

The bridge ends with a temple, in front of which visitors see sculptures of a meditating Buddha. This creates an additional mood before entering the temple.

Buddha's abode

Externally, the temple is made in strict accordance with Buddhist architectural canons. The work on the inside has not been completed. It seems that Chalermchai Kositpipat is waiting for some miracle or sign. In the meantime, the walls inside are painted in such a way that even the local residents of Thailand are surprised.

Let's not reveal the secrets of the temple. But let's say that, although the images are far from canonical, they fit perfectly into the system of the Buddhist worldview, which is limitless and capable of conjugating any manifestations of a diverse reality.

golden house

In contrast to the white abode of the Buddha, the golden house is the center of worldly life. Here are located:

• small gallery;
• hall for sermons and prayers;
• "golden public toilet".

Again, on a symbolic level, the golden house is intended to contrast with the white temple, emphasizing the difference between worldly vanity and enlightened true awareness.

The golden color is designed to draw people's attention to how much attention they pay to money and worldly things, forgetting about the most important thing.

A park

After visiting the monastery, guests can walk in the park, relax on benches in the shade of trees, and study sculptures. There is a small cafe with snacks and drinks, a souvenir shop.

Working hours

The temple complex is open for visiting from 8.00 to 18.00. The gallery in the golden house closes at 17.30. Free admission. On weekends and holidays it can be crowded: Thais love to come here on excursions.

Despite the fact that Rong Khun is an inactive temple, it is still a religious site. When visiting, you must follow the dress code and avoid too open parts of the body.

How to get there

Wat Rong Khun is located along Phahonyothin road 15 kilometers southwest of Chiang Rai. Can be reached by the following transport:

• by taxi for 300 baht ($8) -20 minutes;
• by bus for 20 baht ($0.5) - 30 minutes;
• by songteo bus for 30 baht ($0.8) - 30 minutes.

Buses and minibuses leave from the bus station near the night market in the center of Chiang Rai.