Where is the White Temple in Thailand? White Temple in Thailand. Where is the white temple in Thailand and how to get there

Futuristic temple of Thailand Wat Rong Khun May 4th, 2013

The Wat Rong Khun Temple, or White Temple, the work of the artist Chalermchai Kasitpipat, is a very beautiful structure, despite the fact that it was built by an enthusiast with his own money.

For the first time seeing images of the “White Temple”, also known as Wat Rong Khun, you might decide that this is just high-quality computer graphics. The architecture of the structure is so unique that one simply cannot believe that the temple is real! 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 first minutes!

The White Temple, as a symbol of the purity of Buddha and nirvana, a reminder of the eternal struggle between good and evil, was started in 1998 and should consist of 9 structures. Construction has been going on for more than 12 years, and Chalermchai believes that the project will be finally 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 proceeds from the sale of his paintings to 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, it is somewhat doubtful that so many talents could be concentrated in one person to have time to independently paint the interiors of Wat Rong Khun, maintain the entire infrastructure in good condition and, moreover, have time to earn a living. He probably still accepts donations, especially since the religious building turned out to be truly unearthly in 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. Construction of the temple began relatively recently (in 1998), and some objects are still being built. One of the initiators of the construction is a certain Kositpipat Chalermchai, who in Thailand was nicknamed 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 objects of the structure were built exclusively with his funds! The artist himself, when asked about financing, answers that he is building the temple with his own money due to the fact that in this way no one can dictate their terms to him. In general, “White Temple” is a living embodiment of the fantasies of a Thai artist. Naturally, such large-scale work is definitely beyond the capabilities of one person, so Kositpipat involved his brother in the work, whom he appointed chief engineer of the ambitious project.

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

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

The meaning of the compositions of most sculptures is very difficult to understand. Here you have the dragons so familiar to Asia, and hundreds of hands that are reaching out to you, as if wanting to grab you. Moreover, if dragons are depicted as very peace-loving creatures, then the hand sculptures are quite ominous!

The inside of the temple is no less interesting than the outside. There are several sculptures and images of Buddha here, but the highlight of the temple interior is a painting depicting the battle between good and evil! In addition to standard plots, there was also 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 harmonizes well with the images of Buddha and his disciples! Photography inside the temple is strictly prohibited.

The above-mentioned painting was created by Kositpipat Chalermchai over the course of three years. Talking about his creation, the artist notes that he tried to show eternal truths (good and evil) in understandable images for modern people. This is such an unusual interpretation!

Located in Chiang Rai province, 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 Buddha’s wisdom shining both on earth and throughout the Universe. Each element and architectural form carries some kind of semantic meaning. For example, the bridge is seen as a transition from endless cycles of rebirth to the abode of Buddha, and the semicircle in front of the bridge symbolizes the earthly world.

The paintings 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 USA. According to the guide, the artist thus wants to reach the consciousness of young people, speaking to them in their own language. It is doubtful that such illustrations will persuade anyone to become more religious, but it looks unusual and fresh. The rest of the paintings that decorate the temple mainly depict attempts to avoid earthly temptations and achieve nirvana.

There are animals on the roof, each of which represents earth, air, water and fire.

According to tourists who visited this miracle of religious architecture, the magnificence of the temple is simply amazing; it is beautiful both at dawn, when the first rays of the sun slide across the roof of the temple, and against the backdrop of a clear clear sky, and in the rays of sunset, and even at night, illuminated by the moon.

The White Temple combines a beautiful blend of traditional Buddhist art with modern design solutions. The completely snow-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 rebirth on the way to the Buddha's abode. 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 there 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 Buddha. On the four walls are depicted four animals, 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 mane of the lion 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 once you enter the Temple via the bridge, you cannot return back across it - you end up back in hell. Every sculpture, every detail in this carved snow-white splendor carries a certain meaning and purpose, starting with the white color of the Temple itself - a symbol of the purity of the Buddha, and the glass interspersed throughout - a symbol of the wisdom of the Buddha, which shines brightly throughout the Earth and the Universe.

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

The interior decoration of the White Temple is no less symbolic. 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, Hydra looking like a gas station hose and devouring the Twin Towers, cars, mobile phones and planes shooting lasers. All this unusual theme for churches is laconically integrated into national motifs, making it possible to visually present eternal truths in a language understandable to modern young people.

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

Opposite the White Temple is the Golden Temple, which turns out to be just a public toilet. This is the artist’s unusual way of looking at things!

There is also a gallery on site where you can see other works of the artist and buy yourself some souvenir to remember your visit to such an unusual place.

Work on finishing the temple is still ongoing. Nearby there is a workshop where amazing sculptures are created.

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

If the snow queen had a residence in Thailand, it would probably be Wat Rong Khun or, as it is also called, the white temple. This amazing, beautiful, stunning (I could go on and on) place is located a few kilometers from the northern city of Thailand Chiang Rai. Already driving along the highway you can see the snow-white tops of the temple complex, shimmering in the sun. Airy, like sea foam, the buildings attract the eye and attract you to them like a magnet. And already at the entrance, curious tourists realize that they have not come in vain - something completely special awaits them here.

Wat Rong Khun

Imagine a mixture of Thai architecture, sculpture, Buddhist symbolism and modern surrealism. Paint it all white, add a mirror mosaic inlay, and set it against the piercing turquoise of a tropical sky. This is exactly how you can briefly describe the appearance of the white temple in Chiang Rai.

This is a truly unique place, striking in its appearance and concealing a deep hidden meaning. There is not a single random feature or unnecessary detail that stands out from the general philosophy. Absolutely everything here, from the main buildings and sculptural groups to fences and trash cans, was created in the same author’s style and carries a certain meaning.

The White Temple is not an ordinary place for Buddha worship and religious ceremonies. Or rather, even to say: completely unusual. The main distinguishing feature of Vata is, of course, its white color and the inlay of small mirrors, which symbolize the purity and wisdom of the Buddha. But, in addition to the usual statues of saints and heroes of Buddhist mythology, visitors are surprised to find here a reflection of modern world art.

The main building of the temple is located in the middle of a pond. In its waters, huge black fish or white and golden carp lazily swim or lie on the bottom. On the banks of the reservoir and in the middle of it there are statues of Buddha, mythical heroes and surreal sculptures in the spirit of the works of Salvador Dali.

In order to get to the temple, visitors must first pass through a small semicircle, symbolizing the human world, then a path laid through a forest of white human hands, representing Hell and the path to happiness through confrontation with human passions. The spectacle is a little creepy, but impressive. Then comes the bridge, which is a symbol of rebirth. Its entrance is served by two giant fangs - the mouth of Rahu, after which the demons of Rahu, who control life and death, look menacingly at visitors. Having crossed the bridge through the heavenly gates, a person finds himself in the abode of Buddha, and, in the language of Christians, in heaven.

The decoration of the temple amazes its visitors even more. Instead of traditional Buddhist murals depicting the existence of the Buddha, mythical heroes, demons and symbols of virtue, the walls feature paintings similar to the works of Hieronymus Bosch or Salvador Dali, as if they lived in Thailand in modern times. There you can find a stylized image of the Twin Towers of New York, into which planes crash, Superman, Spider-Man, Avatar flying to Uruk Makto, Neo from the Matrix, the Predator and other heroes of modern cinema. Moreover, all this surprisingly coexists with images inherent in traditional Thai painting. These intricate paintings depict the good and evil of the modern world and encourage us to think about our future. Each work is not considered completely finished and is constantly replenished with new characters. There are also walls in the temple that are just waiting for the artist’s brush to touch them.

Opposite the entrance, directly under the Buddha statue, sits a meditating monk dressed in traditional orange robes. According to one version, it is an embalmed mummy, according to another, it is a wax doll.

To the left of the main temple there are several more buildings: a gazebo, a library, a gallery and... a toilet. The latter contrasts sharply with all the other buildings. Amazing with skillful carvings and airy decorative elements, it is completely painted in gold. While the white color of the entire complex symbolizes the mind and purity of the Buddha's teachings, the golden color of this completely earthly structure symbolizes the body.

Near the gazebo there are several trees, on which for 30 baht you can hang a piece of foil with your wish.

But the most amazing feature of Wat Rong Khun is that it is a figment of the imagination of just one author - the Thai artist painter Chalemchaya Kositpipat. He builds a temple on his own land solely with funds received from the sale of his works. Mr. Kositpipat refuses any sponsorship investments so that the flight of his imagination is not limited by any material obligations.

The history of the creation of the white temple

Construction of the white temple began in 1997, and its completion was planned for 2008. However, the popularity that Wat gained among tourists from all over the world became a reason to make the project even more ambitious. Today, Chalemchai Kositpipat has planned work for 50-80 years. He wants to continue construction until his death, and hopes that then his followers and students will continue his work. The author’s dream is to build the most beautiful Buddhist temple in the world, under whose arches thousands of people will practice meditation and praise Buddha.

Architect and artist Chalemchai Kositpipat

It’s hard to believe that just recently, the genius of Chalemchai Kositpipat, now obvious to everyone, was not recognized in Thai society. Known for his intricate paintings that combine traditional Thai art with symbols of modern culture, the artist has long irritated the Thai public.

Chalemchai was born on February 15, 1955 in the small village of Ban Rong Khun in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai.

From an early age he was interested in drawing, and, years later, began studying art at Bangkok's Silpakorn University. In 1977, Chalemchai received a bachelor's degree in painting, and already at that time he began to show a clear desire for mixing modern and Buddhist art, which aroused hostility among many religious and political figures. However, despite anyone’s opinion, Chalemchai continued to follow his own path and, since the 80s of the last century, exhibited his works at numerous exhibitions in Europe, Asia and America.

After Mr. Kositpipat painted the walls of the Buddhapadipa Buddhist temple in London in his unique style, a wave of criticism fell on his head again, which stopped only after Chalemchayya’s talent was recognized by the King of Thailand himself, who bought several works from him.

Today, many of Kositpipat's paintings are kept in the royal palace and are closed to public attention. And the fact that at the 1998 Thai art auction at Christie one of his works went under the hammer for 17.5 thousand dollars clearly indicates that the artist has gained worldwide recognition.

It was with the proceeds from the sale of his paintings that Chalemchai Kositpipat purchased a plot in his home village. There he is still building the temple of his dreams, which delights and excites the minds of millions of tourists from all over the world for more than ten years.

Opening hours and prices

The White Temple is open to visitors daily from 6:30 to 18:00. The Museum of Paintings on the territory of Wat, where you can buy the artist's works or their reproductions, is open from Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 17:00. Entrance is absolutely free, but remember that photography inside the temple is strictly prohibited.

How to get to the white temple

You can get to this amazing structure by driving 13 km south of the center of Chiang Rai along Highway No. 118. You can do this by songthaew or by rented vehicle.

Wat Rong Khun from Chiang Rai province is far from the oldest and largest temple in Thailand. It does not contain great Buddhist relics. Crowds of pilgrims do not flock here. Strictly speaking, it's not even finished yet. However, it is one of the most recognizable temples in the country and one of the main tourist attractions in the northern part of the kingdom.

Among travelers, Wat Rong Khun is better known as the “White Temple”. The name, as you might guess, comes from the dazzling white color in which it is completely painted on the outside. This color scheme, unique for Thai temple architecture, is its main calling card.

Another feature that makes Wat Rong Khun stand out among the other 33 thousand Buddhist temples in Thailand is its non-canonical iconography. Along with traditional symbols of Buddhism, among the elements of its decor, one can be surprised to find “stars” of Western mass culture such as Neo from the movie “The Matrix”, Schwarzenegger’s Terminator T-800 and even angry birds from a computer game that was sensational in the recent past.

Wat Rong Khun is the most unusual temple in Thailand.

The White Temple owes entirely to its creator, the Thai artist Charlemchai Kositpipat, such unexpected eclecticism for a religious building, as well as the unusual snow-white color.

Artist, Buddhist, philanthropist

In a sense, the eccentric Mr. Kositpipat himself is one of the features of Wat Rong Khun. He is the sole author of this project, the main creation of his life. Nothing is done in the White Temple without his knowledge; Everything here, from the first to the last detail, was invented by him and built exclusively with his personal money.

Kositpipat's biography is a rare case when one can say that the artist himself painted his own life. He was born on February 15, 1955 in one of the small Thai villages in Chiang Rai province. His family, which was poor even by the modest standards of the Thai wilderness, was looked down upon by his fellow villagers. It was then that Charlemchay had a desire to escape from the provincial poverty of his small homeland and become rich and famous.

The passion for drawing, which had possessed him since childhood, helped him do this. Deciding to become a professional artist, he went to Bangkok and entered one of the capital's universities.

Living in a big city, the future creator of the White Temple began to think about the life paths of other people, trying to understand why some artists become rich and successful, while others do not. Carefully analyzing the works of famous masters and noticing what made their creations great, he tried to apply what he found in his paintings.

The efforts were not in vain, and the works of Kositpipat himself began to enjoy popularity. By 1978, when Charlemchai graduated from university with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, he was already earning money from his paintings.

Gradually, national fame and success came to him, and he became the most famous artist of his country. Among his wealthy clients was even the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej himself. This, however, was not enough for Kositpipat. He wanted the whole world to talk about him.

This wish came true with the construction of the White Temple.

Piety and Ambition

All of Charlemchai’s works, starting from his first student works, have always been connected in one way or another with Buddhism. As he grew older, his commitment to the Buddhist faith only grew. Therefore, when he learned that one of the old temples in his home province of Chiang Rai had completely fallen into disrepair, and the local authorities did not have the money to repair it, he decided to personally take on its restoration. And at the same time turn it into the most ambitious art project of your life.

By that time, 42-year-old Kositpipat was already an accomplished artist and a very wealthy man who could afford to carry out construction entirely with his own money. This allowed Charlemchai to avoid any outside influence and implement all his ideas exactly. And there was no shortage of them.

Traditions plus the author's approach

Kositpipat began construction of the White Temple in 1997. He approached the matter not only creatively, as befits an artist, but also radically. All that remained of the old temple was its former name - Wat Rong Khun, and everything else was invented and rebuilt from scratch.

It must be said that the word “wat” in Thailand does not mean any individual building, but an entire temple complex. Therefore, Wat Rong Khun should be correctly understood not as a single standing temple, but as a single architectural ensemble. According to the project, it includes nine buildings. The construction and finishing of most of them have not yet been completed.

It is believed that work at Wat Rong Khun will continue for at least half a century.

The Wat Rong Khun temple complex includes nine buildings. Most of them are white.

The entire temple complex is a strange mixture of traditional Thai architecture and the imagination of Charlemchai Kositpipat himself. According to the artist’s plan, every detail of Wat Rong Khun should carry a certain symbolic meaning and prompt temple visitors to think about Buddhism.

Thus, the white color of most of the buildings of Wat Rong Khun symbolizes the purity of the Buddhist faith, as well as the primacy of the spiritual principle in a person over his base bodily needs. The snow-white effect is enhanced by pieces of mirrors, which, like a mosaic, are generously laid out on all elements of the external decor. They are meant to depict the sparkling wisdom of Buddhism.

The most important building and the “face” of the entire complex is the snow-white ubosot (in Thailand, this is the name given to the central building of the wata, which houses the statue of Buddha and where prayers and main religious ceremonies are performed). It is he who attracts the most attention from tourists and appears in most photographs taken at Wat Rong Khun.

A magnificent bridge leads to the ubosot, in front of which hands stretch out from under the ground in silent despair in a semicircle. They symbolize a person’s futile pursuit of momentary pleasures and attempts to satisfy insatiable passions. All this, according to Buddhist ideas, gives rise to suffering, which can only be eliminated by renouncing earthly attachments and desires. Only then does a person begin his spiritual growth and get a chance to achieve nirvana - the ultimate goal of Buddhism.

Hands outstretched upward as a symbol of earthly passions and desires.

Bypassing earthly passions and vices, the visitor begins to climb the bridge leading to the ubosot. Walking along it is a symbol of overcoming samsara, the cycle of earthly rebirths, and its highest point is the sacred Mount Meru, the mythical center of the Buddhist universe. In accordance with the mythology in which the mountain is surrounded by sea waters, there is a small pond under the bridge.

After crossing the bridge, tourists find themselves in front of the entrance to the ubosot. Its three levels of roof, traditional for Buddhist temple architecture in Thailand, symbolize wisdom, concentration and religious precepts. The decoration of the temple, thought out to the smallest detail, is striking.

The inside of the ubosot is decorated with wall paintings made in the original style of Charlemchai Kositpipat, for which he had previously been criticized by traditionalists.

In 1988 - 1992, he and another artist painted the walls of the first Thai Buddhist wat in the UK called Buddhapadipa (located in Wimbledon, a southwestern suburb of London). Then, with their light hand, Margaret Thatcher and Mother Teresa, as well as images of the authors themselves, appeared on the walls of the temple among scenes of Buddhist myths.

Not everyone liked the innovative approach, and the experimenters were initially criticized a lot - from the Thai government to other Thai artists and the monks themselves. But gradually the passions subsided, and people got used to the “unformatted” frescoes.

Several years passed, and when decorating Wat Rong Khun, Kositpipat again decided to give free rein to his imagination. Moreover, this time he sent the canons of Buddhist iconography into an even more unbridled creative flight. Along with the usual images and techniques of temple painting, Charlemchai used characters from Western popular culture to personify the vices of modern society. Therefore, on the inner walls of the ubosot you can see, for example, Freddy Krueger, Alien and the terrorist attack on the New York Twin Towers, and also, for some reason, Harry Potter and Spiderman.

All covered in gold, absolutely all... the toilet of Wat Rong Khun.

Another non-standard creative move of Charlemchai is a large, luxuriously decorated and generously gilded... toilet. According to the author’s idea, such a deliberately chic design of a banal outhouse should show the futility of a person’s pursuit of material wealth and excessive passion for perishable values ​​to the detriment of spiritual development.

Black Day of the White Temple

When starting the construction of the White Temple, Charlemchai Kositpipat was full of enthusiasm and determination to complete it at any cost. However, there was a moment when he almost gave up everything, almost putting an end to the history of Wat Rong Khun.

The artist's hands gave up on May 5, 2014, when at 18:08 local time the temple was seriously damaged by an earthquake of magnitude 6.3. Kostpipat, who by that time had spent almost 20 years of his life and more than 40 million Thai baht of his personal money on its construction, was close to despair.

After the first inspection of the damage received, a dejected Charlemchai told the press that he would not restore the temple, and all its buildings would be demolished for safety reasons. However, immediately after this, words of support poured in from all over the world. He received hundreds of phone calls. People urged him not to abandon the White Temple, which, in their opinion, had already become an artistic treasure of the whole world.

The Thai government also offered assistance, immediately sending a team of engineers to Wat Rong Khun to assess the extent of the damage. Their verdict was more than encouraging: the load-bearing structures and foundations did not suffer critical damage, and the buildings of the temple complex could be restored.

In addition, the Armed Forces and universities of the country promised to help. Many individuals and organizations also expressed their readiness to provide assistance.

Bridge in front of the ubosot. A mirror mosaic is visible.

Inspired by the commission's findings and flattered by the support he received, Mr. Kositpipat immediately perked up. On the morning of May 7, he promised that he would restore the White Temple in the next two years, and some buildings would be reopened to tourists the very next day. In addition, the artist explained his first statement about the closure of the temple as a deliberate step. So he allegedly wanted to check whether his work was really important to people and the state.

Currently, work at Wat Rong Khun is ongoing. The author of the project firmly intends to restore exactly all the wall paintings and decorative elements destroyed by the earthquake. In the meantime, due to restoration efforts, tourists are temporarily prohibited from taking photographs inside the temple.

The temple complex Wat Rong Khun is located 13 kilometers southwest of the city of Chiang Rai. A taxi ride to him will take about twenty minutes and cost 250 – 300 baht. Public transport (minibus) will cost much less (20 baht), while the travel time will hardly increase and will be about half an hour.

You should choose appropriate clothing for visiting the temple. She shouldn't be too open. Bare legs will be especially reprehensible.

Wat Rong Khun is open daily and admission is free. You can support the construction by making a donation, but it should not exceed 10 thousand baht, as the artist does not want to be influenced by wealthy sponsors. An analogue of a donation would be the purchase of one of Charlemchai Kositpipat’s original paintings, which are sold in the gallery at the temple.

In general, Wat Rong Khun is very popular among foreign tourists, who are brought here by busloads. Therefore, it is usually quite crowded here. There are also quite a few Thais, but they mostly come on weekends or holidays.

In the afternoon, when tourists leave, there are significantly fewer people.

Golden cage for Rajput aristocrats

The history of the appearance of one of the main architectural masterpieces of Northern India - the Jaipur Hawa Mahal Palace - began long before its actual construction in 1799. Like other cultural features of the region, this building is the result of many centuries of confrontation and difficult convergence between Hindu and Islamic traditions. In this sense, Hawa Mahal dates back to events that began in the 8th century, when Northern India first faced the threat of Muslim expansion.

As you know, in its initial stages, the Indians were lucky. For a long time they managed to successfully repel all attempts by the aliens to gain a foothold east of the Indus. However, from the end of the 12th century, various Islamic rulers, despite desperate Indian resistance, began to move deeper into the subcontinent.

Each step was given to the attackers with great difficulty. The Rajputs, representatives of different ethnic groups from the varna of Kshatriya warriors, resisted the invaders especially stubbornly. Their small principalities turned out to be a tough nut to crack for Muslims and delayed the Islamic seizure of Indian lands for a long time.

View of the top two floors of the Hawa Mahal from the inside of the building.

The Rajput states of the present Indian state of Rajasthan defended their freedom for the longest time with arms in hand. Only the mighty Mughal Empire was able to turn them into its vassals, but even under the all-powerful Mughal rule, the warlike Rajputs repeatedly rebelled.

Cultural exchange

Despite centuries of hostility, Rajput-Mughal relations were not limited to military conflicts alone. Over the long years of coexistence, representatives of the upper classes of the Rajputs adopted some of their traditions from their overlords. In particular, women from aristocratic Rajput families over time began to observe purdah, a Muslim custom of female seclusion. In addition, the Rajputs borrowed many features of their architecture from the Mughals.

The arcades and domes of the Hawa Mahal clearly indicate Mughal influence on Rajput architecture.

It was as a peculiar result of these borrowings that a wonderful monument of Indian architecture called Hawa Mahal appeared in 1799.

The main symbol of Jaipur

Hawa Mahal is located in Jaipur, the famous Pink City of India, which was founded on November 18, 1727 by Maharaja Jai ​​Singh II as the new capital of his ancient Rajput princely state. Today, this bustling three million population is the main city of the largest Indian state - hot and desert Rajasthan.

Jaipur owes its poetic second name to the color of the sandstone from which its historical center was built. It is here, in the very heart of the old city, that the most popular attraction and symbol of Jaipur is located - the Hawa Mahal Palace.

This beautiful five-story building tapering upward was built in 1799 by the grandson of the founder of Jaipur, Maharaja Pratap Singh. It is believed that Hawa Mahal was built in the shape of the crown of the god Krishna, to whom the Maharaja was very devoted. The palace harmoniously combines Hindu and Mughal architectural traditions, being a true embodiment of Rajput architecture.

Like other buildings in the historical center of the city, Hawa Mahal is built of red sandstone. In addition, the outside is painted soft pink, beautifully accentuated by white canvas and patterns.

The most recognizable feature of the Hawa Mahal is the special jharokas balconies that adorn each of the five floors of the main façade of the building. They are gracefully decorated with decorative domed canopies and covered with openwork carved screens with tiny windows.

The “crest” of the five-story main facade of Hawa Mahal is 15 meters high. Despite this, it has very thin walls: their thickness is only 20 centimeters.

Jharokas represent one of the most characteristic features of Rajput architecture. It is interesting that, for all their aesthetic merits, they were not just elements of the artistic decoration of a building, but were built with a clear practical purpose.

Life imprisonment in Rajput style

As already mentioned, under the Mughal rule, the highest Hindu Rajput aristocracy adopted the Islamic tradition of purdah. According to it, women of noble Rajput houses were forbidden to appear before strangers. This essentially meant that they were doomed to be locked up for the rest of their lives. The only “interaction” with the outside world for them came down to passive observation of urban everyday life. For this purpose, closed balconies-jharokas, characteristic of Rajput architecture, were invented, which came in handy during the construction of Hawa Mahal.

The intricately decorated outer wall of the Hawa Mahal contrasts sharply with the unpretentious appearance of its rear facade, which (like the interior of the building) is quite simple and practically devoid of decoration.

The fact is that Hawa Mahal is directly adjacent to the women's wing of the huge City Palace complex. It was built for the aristocratic women from the princely house of the Maharaja of Jaipur who lived there. Each of the women in Hawa Mahal was assigned a small private room, closed from prying eyes with a jharoka. While there, the owner of the room could quietly observe the street life of the city, which was forbidden to her.

Natural conditioner

Apart from the Rajput balconies, an interesting feature of the Hawa Mahal is its ability to easily allow cool outside air to pass through. For this, in fact, it got its name, which translates as “Palace of the Winds.”

The property of self-cooling, valuable for sultry Rajasthan, appeared in Hawa Mahal due to its special flat layout. Of the five floors of the palace, the top three are only one room thick, which allows the wind to flow freely throughout all rooms of the building. In addition, previously the natural air conditioning system was supplemented by fountains.

The unusual Hawa Mahal Palace with its delicate jharok balconies is very popular among tourists. Jaipur is well connected to the rest of India by roads and railways and has an international airport nearby, so there are always a lot of both local and foreign visitors here.

Since Hawa Mahal was a kind of iron curtain between the women of the princely house and the outside world, it has no entrance from the main facade. Everyone who had the right to enter here did so from the territory of the City Palace. Today, to get inside, you need to go around Hawa Mahal on the left.

The palace does not have the usual stairs to reach the upper floors. Instead, special ramps are installed.

After passing through the majestic entrance gate, the visitor finds himself in a spacious courtyard, surrounded on three sides by two-story buildings. On the fourth side is the Hawa Mahal itself, covering the courtyard from the east. Tourists can climb to the very top of the building and enjoy beautiful views of the city. From above, for example, you can clearly see the famous Jantar Mantar observatory and the City Palace.

Hawa Mahal also has a small archaeological museum. The miniature paintings on display here and rich artifacts such as ceremonial armor will help visitors relive images of the distant Rajput past.

Hawa Mahal is open from 9:00 to 17:00. The best time to visit is early in the morning, when the Palace of the Winds looks especially stunning, emitting an orange-pink glow in the golden rays of the rising sun.

Entry fee for foreign adults is INR 50; students pay half as much. A guide will cost 200 rupees, an audio guide in English will cost 110.

A quick guide for travelers

This is the final part prepared by the project website articles about the features of ancient Egyptian temples. The previous two talked about them, as well as about. This time we will talk about the difficult fate of the temples of Ancient Egypt, and those of them that have been best preserved to this day will be briefly listed.

At the zenith of glory and power

The biographies of the ancient Egyptian “houses of God” developed differently both during the time of the pharaohs and after the time of their power remained in the distant past. Some temples fell into decay and disappeared even during the heyday of Egyptian statehood, others were destined to survive more than one foreign invasion and become mute witnesses to the final decline of the civilization that gave birth to them.

Without exception, all Egyptian kings tried to build and maintain temples in every possible way. Each pharaoh tried to surpass his predecessors in this, since it was believed that inattention to the cult would deprive him of the protection of the gods, and with it, power. Therefore, temple construction was constantly carried out in Ancient Egypt, and many important “houses of God,” having already been created, continued to be overgrown with more and more new buildings. Even many centuries after their founding, they had new pylons, open courtyards, obelisks, statues and decorations; temples acquired new land holdings.

In this case, it was often necessary to sacrifice the already existing “houses of the gods”, which were demolished, rebuilt, or simply used as quarries, turning them into a cheap source of building materials.

The clearest example of this is the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak. The first sanctuary in its place was built, it is believed, during the XII dynasty of the Middle Kingdom, but it became the most important temple of the country four centuries later, during the New Egyptian XVIII dynasty. After this, Karnak retained the status of the main sacred center of Egypt for more than a thousand years.

During this time, the temple was repeatedly rebuilt and expanded. Pharaoh after pharaoh enlarged the Karnak house of Amon, adding their own or remodeling parts already built by their predecessors. As a result, over more than two millennia of transformation, the temple acquired an incredible number of very different buildings (there were already ten pylons alone!), and within its huge temenos, over time, about 20 more smaller temples appeared.

On a lesser scale, but still in a similar way, things were the same with the houses of other ancient Egyptian gods. Many of them were also completed and rebuilt many times, sometimes completely from scratch.

View of the first, second and third pylons of the famous Great Temple of Amun at Karnak. © Cartu13 | Dreamstime.com – Karnak Ruins Photo

Both when building new temples and when changing old ones, Egyptian rulers often used the creations of previous pharaohs as a convenient source of building stone. Thus, during the construction of the third pylon of the same Great Temple of Amun in Karnak, several earlier buildings belonging to Senusret I, Amenhotep I and Thutmose IV, as well as the famous Queen Hatshepsut, were dismantled and used for building materials.

In an effort to associate their name with such a godly deed as the construction of temples, the ancient Egyptian kings not only did not shy away from destroying the works of their predecessors for this purpose, but also did not disdain to appropriate other people’s merits in this field. This usually happened when one or another pharaoh was unable to build anything significant himself, or in order to erase the memory of the deeds of some previous rulers. For this purpose, a kind of “hijacking” of already existing temples or parts thereof was undertaken, where, by order of the ruling pharaoh, all references to their real builders were destroyed, and the name of the “hijacker” king was written in their place.

This practice became so widespread by the end of the New Kingdom that the pharaohs, when building temples, had to cut cartouches with the hieroglyphs of their names a good ten centimeters deep, hoping that this would make it impossible for the next kings to use their merits.

Cartouche with the throne name of Ramesses III in his funeral temple in Medinet Habu. In the hope of stopping the usurpation of his temples by subsequent rulers, Ramesses III ordered inscriptions to be made on their walls and columns using the technique of very deep relief, often to a depth of more than 10 centimeters.

However, it was not only loser pharaohs who “interrupted numbers” on other people’s architectural monuments. Even the greatest builder of Ancient Egypt, Ramses II, who built many of his own outstanding temples, did not hesitate to do this.

In general, until the end of the New Kingdom, the total number of ancient Egyptian “houses of god” steadily increased. Of course, there were also cases when, for one reason or another, some of them fell into disrepair and disappeared. For example, many temples were destroyed by natural forces: groundwater, Nile floods and earthquakes. However, in general, favored by the attention of the pharaohs and having large material resources, the temples flourished.

Radical changes in the destinies of the “houses of God” came with the end of Egyptian independence.

Twilight of the Ancient Egyptian Gods

After the fall of the New Kingdom, ancient Egypt fell on hard times. Since the 11th century BC. e. Egyptian history became a series of turmoil, fragmentation and foreign domination, punctuated only occasionally by short bursts of independence and national unity.

The vicissitudes of this turbulent period could not but affect the Egyptian temples. Thus, many “houses of God” were destroyed during the Assyrian and second Persian invasions. The Egyptians managed to partially compensate for these losses during the Sais Renaissance and through the efforts of the XXX dynasty pharaoh Nectanebo I. Later, intensive temple construction was also carried out under the Ptolemies and the Romans, that is, after Egypt had finally lost its independence. However, the days of the greatness of the ancient Egyptian temples were already numbered.

With the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD. e. The pagan sanctuaries of Egypt were outlawed. They were desecrated by Christian fanatics-vandals, they were closed by imperial decrees, and they were used as quarries.

Temples built of limestone were especially hard hit (such were most of the “houses of God” north of Luxor; temples to the south were usually built of sandstone). In the 5th century, their destruction unfolded on an unprecedented scale: the limestone of ancient Egyptian monuments was burned into lime, which was used for the construction needs of the new regime. In addition, many temples were converted into churches.

The last functioning Egyptian "house of god" is believed to have been the temple of Isis on the island of Philae. It was forcibly closed by a Byzantine military expedition under the command of the eunuch general Narses around 535 AD. e.

Of course, Islam, which came to the country in the 7th century, did not bring any good news to the Egyptian temples. The destruction of temples continued, only instead of churches, mosques were now erected in them.

During the Byzantine period, several churches were built on the territory of the Luxor Temple of Amon. In the 13th century they were replaced by a mosque, which is still functioning.

The number of ancient Egyptian temples declined even after the advent of modern Egyptology and interest in the history of Ancient Egypt. Thus, already at the beginning of the 19th century, during the industrialization undertaken by the Egyptian Pasha Muhammad Ali, a campaign was again launched to burn the surviving “houses of God” into lime, which destroyed many beautiful monuments of ancient Egyptian architecture.

As a result, to date in Egypt, in more or less complete form, only a small part of the former splendor of its ancient temple architecture can be seen. These are mainly those “houses of the gods” that were located far from the Nile and densely populated areas. There they were protected from destruction by people (especially if they were covered with sand) and the destructive floods of the great river. It is these temples that today represent the best-preserved examples of religious architecture of Ancient Egypt.

The most famous ancient Egyptian temples

In conclusion, here is a short annotated list of the most famous and best preserved ancient Egyptian temples. Each of them is a unique example of the architectural heritage of the country of the pharaohs and is worth visiting.

The list includes not only the “houses of the gods”, but also the so-called “houses of millions of years” - funeral temples built by the pharaohs for the eternal practice of their funeral cult. Despite the fact that, contrary to the wishes of their deified creators, services in such temples usually ended soon after the death of the pharaohs who built them, some of them were well preserved. During the New Kingdom, “houses of millions of years” were built, as a rule, on the model of “houses of God.”

Only a few poorly preserved temples have survived from the times of the Old Kingdom. The most famous and best preserved of them is the monumental granite temple of pharaoh Khafre, which was once part of the funerary complex of buildings at his pyramid in Giza.

The temples of the Middle Egyptian period have practically not survived. The most significant of the remaining ones is memorial temple of the XI dynasty pharaoh Mentuhotep II in Deir el-Bahri. Its ruins lie side by side with the famous temple of Queen Hatshepsut, for which it served as an architectural model.

To the left of the world-famous temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri is the poorly preserved and much older mortuary temple of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II. It was its unusual layout that the architects of the famous New Egyptian ruler took as a basis.

Another example of Middle Egyptian temples is the so-called “ White Chapel", a small elegant temple of Pharaoh Senusret I, built by him in Thebes in honor of the 30th anniversary of his reign. During the New Kingdom, the chapel was dismantled for building materials and restored by archaeologists in the 20th century.

Incomparably more Egyptian temples have survived from the era of the New Kingdom. The most famous and outstanding of them is the huge Karnak temple complex in the capital of the New Egyptian state of Thebes (present-day Luxor). With an area of ​​more than 100 hectares, it is the second largest (after the famous Angkor Wat in Cambodia) temple complex in the world. Its main “house of god” is the Great Temple of Amun with a colossal hypostyle hall and ten pylons. In addition to him, the Karnak temple complex also includes the temples of Amun's wife, the goddess Mut, and their son Khonsu, as well as numerous sanctuaries of other deities and pharaohs.

Next to Karnak there is a closely related Luxor Temple of Amon. This is the southernmost of the “houses of god” on the eastern shore of the ancient Egyptian capital. It dates back one and a half thousand years of continuous construction - starting from the reign of the pharaohs of the 18th dynasty and ending with the era of Christianization of the Roman Empire.

Many remarkable monuments of Egyptian temple architecture are located on the western bank of Thebes. Here, not far from the Valley of the Kings, where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom built their tombs, their memorial temples were also erected, of which three are the most famous.

Firstly, this funeral temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahri. Lying in ruins when excavations began in 1891, today this magnificent temple has been carefully restored and represents a true masterpiece of ancient Egyptian temple architecture. It belongs to a peculiar rock variety of “houses of millions of years”.

Not far south of it, in a place called Gurna, there is a rather poorly preserved funeral temple of Ramesses II. With the light hand of Champollion, who visited the temple in 1829, it is also known as Ramesseum. It was once an impressive structure, even by the standards of Ramesses II, but over the past millennia it has suffered significant damage.

Unfortunately, the mortuary temple of the great Ramesses II at Gurna (also known as the Ramesseum) is quite poorly preserved.

To the southwest of the Ramesseum is located funeral temple of RamessesIII in Medinet Habu– one of the most impressive religious buildings of Ancient Egypt. The building of this temple for the most part escaped destruction (except for the destruction of temple statues and other similar “little things” by Christian vandals) and was perfectly preserved.

In addition to this famous trinity, in the Theban necropolis there is another remarkable “house of millions of years” - memorial temple of SetiI in Qurna. Situated near the Ramesseum and badly damaged, it is almost unknown to tourists today. However, this temple was once very important - it was here that the statue of the god Amun made its first stop when it was transported to the west bank of the Nile during the Beautiful Festival of the Valley.

Much better preserved (and therefore more popular with travelers) funeral temple of Seti I at Abydos. It was dedicated to Osiris, Isis and Pharaoh Seti I himself, during whose lifetime the temple was never completed. The construction had to be completed by his son, the famous Ramesses II. One of the main features of this temple is the so-called Abydos list of kings - a list of all the pharaohs who ruled in Egypt from the legendary Mendes to Seti I himself, carved on its walls.

The magnificent monuments of New Egyptian architecture are rock memorial temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari in Abu Simbel. They are located in the south of modern Egypt, in historical Nubia, and are famous not only for their outstanding artistic merits, but also for the recent history of their salvation.

Due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam, which began in 1960, the temples at Abu Simbel (like many other archaeological sites in southern Egypt) found themselves in the zone of future flooding. In 1964 - 1968, both the large and small (pictured) temples of Abu Simbel were cut into blocks and moved to a higher place.

The best-preserved Egyptian temples date back to the last millennium of the existence of Ancient Egypt - the Greco-Roman period of its history (IV century BC - VI century AD).

One of them is located 60 km north of Luxor Temple of Hathor at Dendera. It is unusual in that it does not have a pylon. But he has two (and unique) mammisia at once. The first was built by Pharaoh Nectanebo I and is the oldest surviving “birth house”. The second, the most developed from an architectural point of view of all known temples of this kind, dates back to Roman times.

Built in the 3rd century BC, it is dedicated to the same goddess as in Dendera. e. Temple of Hathor at Deir el-Medina. It is quite small, but it has remained relatively intact, including the temple fence made of raw brick.

One of the latest ancient Egyptian “houses of god” - Temple of Khnum in Esna– located 55 km south of Luxor. It began to be built under Ptolemy VI, and the Romans had to finish the work. Today it is located right in the middle of a modern city. Of the entire temple, only the hypostyle hall remains, but it is in good condition.

Further south, halfway between Luxor and Aswan is Temple of Horus in Edfu. Today it is the best-preserved Egyptian “house of god”, and therefore it is very popular among tourists. The temple took 180 years to build, from 237 to 57 BC. e., and was completed by Ptolemy XII, the father of the famous Queen Cleopatra. The oldest element of the temple is the four-meter granite naos of Pharaoh Nectanebo II, which inherited the current Ptolemaic sanctuary from the earlier “house of god” that stood on this site.

Even further south is a unique “double” Temple of Sebek and Horus the Elder in Kom Ombo. It is curious because it has an unusual “mirror” plan: the temple is divided into two absolutely identical halves, the first of which is dedicated to the crocodile-headed god Sebek, and the second to one of the incarnations of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.

Several temples were once located on the island of Elephantine, strategically located near the ancient southern border of Egypt (opposite modern Aswan). Two of them - small temples of Thutmose III and Amenhotep III - remained virtually untouched until the beginning of the 19th century. Unfortunately, in 1822 they were barbarically destroyed by order of local authorities (they were burned with lime). Today, only granite gates from the Hellenistic period from temple of god Khnum. Also on the island, archaeologists have partially restored Temple of the Goddess Satet(the wife of Khnum), who owned the largest nilometer in Egypt, which was used until the 19th century.

Unlike Elephantine, where the oldest archaeological finds date back to the Early Dynastic period, temples on the island of Philae, located slightly to the south, appeared relatively late. It became an important religious center only during the reign of the Ptolemies. It is from this time that the perfectly preserved Temple of Isis on the island of Philae, which is considered the most beautiful of all existing Egyptian “houses of god”.

The first pylon and entrance to the temple of Isis on the island of Philae.

Climbing further south along the Nile, you can see Temple of Mandulis in Kalabsha. Dedicated to a local Nubian deity, whom the Egyptians identified with their Horus, it was built during the reign of the last Ptolemies and completed under Emperor Augustus. Initially, the temple was located on the banks of the Nile in a place called Bab el-Kalabsha, 50 km south of the current Aswan Dam. In 1962 - 1963, it was disassembled into 13 thousand parts and then transported and recreated on a new place - the island of New Kalabsha.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that as a result of the grandiose international campaign of 1959–1980 to save the architectural monuments of Nubia from flooding, four small ancient Egyptian temples ended up outside Egypt. In gratitude for their assistance in archaeological work, they were donated to Spain ( Temple of Amun of Debod, now stands in Madrid), the Netherlands ( Temple of Emperor Octavian Augustus of Taffa, now in the State Museum of Antiquities Leiden), USA ( Temple of Isis from Dendur, now in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Italy ( rock temple of Thutmose III from Hellesia, which was transported to the Egyptian Museum of Turin).

It is impossible to overestimate the degree of luck that all the temples listed above needed to survive to this day. Over the past millennia, they have been lucky enough to survive many natural adversities and foreign invasions. But what’s most amazing is that they somehow miraculously bypassed the long centuries of religious intolerance, which hung over them like the sword of Damocles ever since the voices of the priests fell silent in them forever and the smoke of the last incense melted away.

Fortunately, now for the first time in almost two thousand years, the temples of Ancient Egypt are beyond the threat of destruction. They are internationally recognized as an integral part of the cultural treasury of humanity. Many ancient Egyptian temples are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Of course, the ceremonial services within their walls have sunk into oblivion forever. Former rituals were replaced by the noisy tourist bustle, and the only obligatory rituals became camera and souvenir efforts. But even now, wandering through the columned halls and porticos of the ancient Egyptian “houses of God,” you can still catch an echo of their former purpose. As before, they proudly look at the human chaos reigning around them, and no matter what, they continue to remain strongholds of maat - the eternal order of the universe.

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

If you are interested in contemporary art, then this temple (called “white”) should be visited. You'll be able to see an eclectic fusion of Buddhism, traditional Thai architecture, pop art and science fiction.

History of the temple

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 churches have their undoubted advantages: they are all places of prayer, in which the walls and ground breathe history. But the world around us is changing. Just like the people who inhabit the earth. It is difficult for modern people to understand the meaning of Buddhism by visiting old temples. They need to show Buddhist ideas more clearly.

Chalermchai Kositpipat, a millionaire Thai artist, reasoned something like this. He proposed to reconstruct the Wat Rong Khun Temple located near his hometown of Chiang Rai, which by that time was in a deplorable state. Permission was received. The artist was given the territory of a dilapidated temple complex. In 1997, with his personal funds, 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 most tourist area of ​​the country, and is 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 raised through the sale of souvenirs depicting 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 insignificant. They are not mine. They only allow me to act in accordance with my beliefs."

Temple symbolism

Every detail of the temple complex has its own meaning and allows visitors to see 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 external design the following are mainly used:

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

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

Although white color predominates in the design of the temple area, it is not the only color used. Outside the temple there is a lot of gold, red, green and other colors. They symbolize worldly existence and human vices. Disgusting-looking sculptures, hanging heads, skeletons and demons holding cigarette packs in their hands and replicas of alcohol bottles await here.

The concept of the complex is such that first visitors see artistic objects associated with worldly life. And only after this can guests enter the territory of the white temple. In this way, the artist makes one 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: you can purchase special food for a fee. It's impressive and appealing to both adults and children.

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

• Hell pit
• Gate to heaven

Hell pit

Hundreds of human hands protruding from the pit underfoot on both sides of the road symbolize desires and passions. Overcoming them, according to the Buddhist concept, means the path to happiness. The distorted faces of the demons watch those entering and check how ready everyone is for purification.

Several hands emerging from the pit hold cast iron pots into which passers-by throw coins. They say 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 the two large stylized horns protruding from the ground symbolize the transition from a cycle of continuous rebirth to a free state without suffering.

According to the third truth of Buddhism, this can only be achieved by renouncing desires.

Gate to heaven

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

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 interior work is not completed. It looks like 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.

We will not reveal the secrets of the temple. But let’s say that, although the images are far from canonical, they fit well into the system of the Buddhist worldview, which is limitless and capable of incorporating 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 meant to contrast with the white temple, emphasizing the difference between worldly vanity and enlightened true awareness.

The golden color is intended 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 around the park, relax on benches in the shade of trees, and study the sculptures. There is a small cafe with snacks and drinks, and a souvenir shop.

Working hours

The temple complex is open to the public from 8.00 to 18.00. The gallery in the Golden House closes at 17.30. Free admission. It gets crowded on weekends and holidays: Thais love to come here on excursions.

Even though Rong Khun is an inactive temple, it is still a religious site. When visiting, you must follow a dress code and avoid overly exposed parts of the body.

How to get there

Wat Rong Khun is located on Phahonyothin road 15 kilometers southwest of Chiang Rai. You can get there by the following transport:

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

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