Travel Destination Blog

If you’re an exceptional-temple lover who doesn’t miss a chance to see as many temples as possible when traveling, after seeing a couple of Buddhist temples you might feel like you’ve been to all of them. The reason for this is because they have a lot of similarities.

But there will surely be a temple on this huge earth that will make you freeze for a moment and just stare.

One and probably the best one of those temples is Wat Rong Khun, which is also called the White Temple. It’s a 20-minute-drive from Chiang Rai, Thailand. The architect of this wonder is Chalermchai Kositpipat.

It is different from all of the other famous Buddhist temples, as it is relatively new (the construction started in 1998) and combines traditional Buddhist as well as modern architectural styles.

The exterior is absolutely breathtaking: the building is completely white with small pieces of silver and golden mirror-like glass embedded in the exterior walls. If it’s sunny out, the temple shines indescribably.

The design carries religious significance. For example, the white color symbolizes the Buddha’s purity, and the shining glass pieces represent his wisdom.

Inside the assembly hall the golden color prevails in the color palette. There are pictures on the ceiling, which depict four animals that symbolize the elements of the earth. The lion stands for fire, the swan for wind, the elephant for earth and the naga symbolizes the water.

The murals include contemporary fictional characters like Superman. The main theme of these murals is the fight of evil and heaven.

To get to the entrance of the temple, you have to cross the bridge. On the both sides of that bridge you’ll see dozens of hands stretching out to get your change. Only after getting to the other end of the bridge you’ll be in the heaven on earth, the White Temple.

If you decide to pay a visit to this wonderful travel destination, read my next post for some helpful information.

Photo: © zephyrbunny

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