Wat Rong Khun: a deep look at the White Temple of Chiang Rai

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When you go to Chiang Rai, you can't miss this amazing temple. It is located at 15 km from the city and it catches your eyes since the very first sight. It was built by Chalermchai Kositpipat, a Thai visual artist, who also own it. He designed, constructed, painted it by himself, using only its own money, because he wanted to be free to express his art. Getting funds from sponsors requires the artist to follow the desire of the funders, thing that Chalermchai never wanted to accept. To date, the artist has spent 1.080.000 THB on the project. Kositpipat made it as an offering to Buddha and he believes the project will give him immortal life. Today the works are ongoing but are not expected to be completed until 2070.

The White Temple is made of plaster and it's coloured in white and gold. The peculiarity of this temple is that the symbols used are not only the traditional ones from Theravada Buddhism but also modern archetypes are widespread all over the temple area. This mixture of ancient and modern gives it a unique taste. Because of this contemporary symbols, some people criticized Chalermchai Kositpipat while others appreciate them properly because of their contemporaneity, making the temple up to date and closer to the nowadays sensitivity.

During the earthquake that hit Mae Lao area in 2014, the temple was damaged. Initially, Chalermachai wanted to raze the temple to the ground for safety reasons, but when an equip of expert engineers affirmed that all buildings were structurally unharmed by the earthquake, he dedicated himself to rebuilt it in a couple of years, putting all himself in the work.

It's possible to visit the temple year-round. For Thai people, the access is free while for foreigners is 100 baht (less than 3€ at today's change). Donations are welcome but not over 10000 baht, as the artist doesn't want to be influenced by big donors.

Here a gallery of my own photos. Unfortunately, it is not possible to take pictures inside the Mail Hall so I can't show it to you.

View of the Main Building and the Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth A unique non-smoking sign A unique no-alcohol sign A statue at the entrance Predator welcoming visitors The Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth The hands of the sinners doomed in hell Not all sinners are repented! Guardian at the entrance of the Bridge Guardian at the entrance of the Bridge Guardian half-way of the Bridge Pond from the Main Building Detail Other bridges and buildings Beautiful arch Another building Three tiled roofs as in the ancient Thai style Bell Golden Building Golden Bridge Ganesha Modern characters Ninja Turtles Sun Wukong or Son Goku Alien VS Predator Venom The Temple fro afar

I hope you enjoy my article! See you soon for another one about my travels!