Modern Marvels of the East in Chiang Rai

-
Yin and Yang. Black and white. Uplifting and depressing. Eye-popping and macabre. If this is beginning to sound like a lesson in antonyms, then I assure you its not. However, I do mean to talk about opposites. First the ‘Yang'. Up in northern Thailand, in the town of Chiang Rai, a Buddhist temple lay in ruins. A few decades ago, visual artist Chalermchai Kositpipat decided to re-build it privately at his own cost. The result is the wondrous and whacky White Temple or Wat Rong Khun.
 
In the overpowering heat and humidity of August, it appears like a mirage, the sun reflecting off its white plaster exterior studded with pieces of glass. We jostled with groups of largely Asian tourists and a number of European backpackers to get the best selfies from a distance.
 

























I decided to gingerly test the somewhat-alien looking sculpture for its glassy muscular strength.























At the entrance we got properly spooked. Placed in a small arc there were skulls and hundred of raised arms (Yikes!). According to local beliefs, this represents the circle of life, death and re-birth.






















The “protectors” at the top of the stairs drive away evil spirits and guard the Gate to Heaven.













Inside is a tranquil Buddha.  The temple complex is still work under progress. Some buildings are yet to take shape.
















































The most magnificent building quite possibly is the gold painted structure that houses….. the toilets (!)  Another statement on materialism. Or maybe the designer is a person after my heart, someone who loves a fancy loo ;-)
  











Now coming to the ‘Yin’. About half an hour further north stands the Black House or Baan Dam Museum created by one of Thailand’s most renown artists Thawan Duchanee who, incidentally, was also the mentor or guru for Kositpipat, the creator of the White Temple.






On the face of it, this is just a parcel of land with over a dozen structures. Yet the first thing that hits you is a heavy, sinking feeling like something has died. This is not far from the truth as each structure is adorned by animal parts such as horns, hides and bones.

































This is certainly not a place for the squeamish. 















The grounds had a set of dome-like cement structures with quirky images.




Eyes and tear drops.










I actually liked this last one.


















We peeked into most of the major structures and walked inside a few but after half an hour the desire to leave was overwhelming. There was a ‘live workshop’ at the back where local carpenters seemed to be working on some furniture that was apparently being made from bones and animal parts. There were people discussing the price. Something tells me these pieces will not be in the Furniture Range of John Lewis anytime soon.

Would I go there again? Hmm… maybe…. but I would probably do the Black House first and then the White Temple. That would help me depart from Chiang Rai with some sparkly energy rather than images of a dining chair adorned with animal horns!

 Read more here about 'The Oddest temple in Thailand'.

***

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bangkok Chronicles: Walking with the Buddha

-
Image
It is a strange feeling indeed to be an Indian (of sorts) in Southeast Asia. Years ago, in smoke-filled pubs of London, it felt perfectly logical to have the Goodness Gracious Me -inspired argument that only one outcome was acceptable: ‘We did it first in India’. Fortunately, the pubs became smoke-free, and I could spend an evening without needing an instant dry-clean for my coat or a deep-cleansing hair wash after each visit. I digress, as usual. This time, as I traverse around Bangkok, I have been filled a growing realisation that indeed, many ideas, beliefs and practices did emerge first in India. Equal is the wonder at how delicately they got assimilated in the local culture and acquired a uniqueness that can only be described in this trite but useful phrase- same same but different . Lest you await the hackneyed confession ‘I truly found myself’ (and there are many ways of finding oneself in Bangkok!), let me assure you there has been no such miraculous moment of discovery for me....
Read more

Bangkok Chronicles: The river

-
Image
On a cold January morning, by the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India, I ushered in 2024 with my family. Back in Delhi, the smog showed little sign of receding. Through the smoky and dust-hued sky, we occasionally witnessed shards of sunlight, a reminder that our planet's bright star has not abandoned us just yet. Fortunately for me, a new adventure awaited. Before the month was over, I had landed about 3000 km east of India in Thailand. Upon alighting from the plane, my jacket was promptly stuffed at the bottom of the suitcase. Within 24 hours I was hitting the shops to buy t-shirts. Because, as everyone knows, you can never have enough t-shirts in a hot and humid country. Over the last few months I have been serenading my social circle with a Whats App-based photo journal. It is finally time to do the proper thing, which is to pen down my experiences for immortality (or till robots take over the earth). I had been to Bangkok several times before as a tourist. H...
Read more

Bangkok Chronicles: 'Veggie Delight' gets a new meaning

-
Image
In the early days, just like the fruits, the vegetable section of supermarkets continued to fill me with more questions than answers. The translation software on my phone was of little use, as many of these were labelled 'native vegetable'.  Eventually, I decided to chuck a new veggie in my basket each week and work out later what it was, and how best to cook it. Here is a small selection of the more unusual and the interesting ones. There are several I had seen before but never tried. Others, as I discovered in my online searches, were well-known in parts of India. I just hadn't come across them while growing up in Delhi, or my family had not experimented enough - an oversight they are now addressing as they regularly share their own funky recipes. Winged beans This is undoubtedly one of my favourite finds. I first tasted these in a delectable salad at an upmarket hotel in Bangkok. It was absolutely scrumptious and I confess, I have never been able to replicate that exact ...
Read more