Just wonderful, but the impression of the country will be incomplete without a visit to the northern provinces. And especially their attractions. Wat Rong Khun (Wat Rong Khun) or, as they are often called, White Temple (White Temple) has become one of the most popular in Thailand. Every year it attracts an increasing number of tourists who seek the sought to see a snow-white miracle.

Wat Rong Khun is far from the only white temple in Thailand, in the province of Krabi, in Krabi Town, built the temple of the same color. However, the White Temple in Chiangra is undoubtedly the most beautiful of all white temples that I have ever seen. Wat Rong Khun is so famous in Thailand that his photos are always in the first place for search queries "Chiangraj".

Some tourists deliberately bypass Wat Rong Khun side: it is Novodel, why to watch it? In fact, the significance of the temple is not in the abandon of the construction, but in the symbolism of ideas. Each detail of the temple carries its meaning and encourages visitors to think about Buddhist teachings telling about worldly temptations, desires, greed and influence on their minds.

The design of the entire temple complex uses pieces of mirrors sparkling in the sun. The white color of the temple personifies the purity of the Buddha, and the mirrors symbolize the wisdom of the Buddha and Buddhist teachings. Wat Rong Khun was developed by Thai artist named Chalemchai Kositpipat. Construction of a White Temple began in 1997 and continues until now. The temple is erected by personal money Chamite Kositpipat and donations, like. According to the plan of the artist on the territory there will be nine buildings, including the defect, hall with Buddhist relics, a hall for meditations, residential premises for monks and an art gallery. Perhaps in 50-60 years old we will see Wat Rong Khun in all magnificence.

The central place in the complex is occupied by the main building - defection. Through the reservoir to it leads the bridge, symbolizing the rebirth cycle. First, with both edges of the bridge, you will see hundreds of hands - this is desires, temptations, greed, human suffering and hell. The path to happiness lies through overcoming such worldly things. Two huge demons guard the road to Nirvana.

The main building is made in the classic style of northern Thai temples with a three-level roof and snakes Naga. But if inside the old temples on the walls you can see the murals with scenes from Buddhist history, then in Wat Rong Khun depicts modern ideas about good and evil: Spiderman, neo from the matrix, Batman, villains and superheroes from films, comics and real life. Here you can see the explosion of American twin tower, spewing volcano, nuclear rockets, weapons. And, of course, images and statue of the Buddha. Inside the main building, photo and video filming is prohibited. Reproductions of frescoes can be purchased in the souvenir shop. Wat Rong Khun is not the only temple in Thailand with a similar painting. This is a new course in modern temple painting, and such a surryalistic vision of the world is extremely interesting.

On the territory of the temple complex you can not notice the Golden Building. Its color is not chance. As opposed to snow-white cleanliness, gold symbolizes the concentration of worldly desires and money. Chamchay Kositpipat calls his body while the celestial is the mind. Not by chance in such a luxurious gold building is a toilet. Immediately shows the connection between the worship of worldly desires and their real cost.

There are many different statues on the territory of the temple complex. Here and semi-semi-semi-semi-mounted Kinnari, and dragons, and the character of the film is a predator, and many others.

The entrance to the White Temple is free, tip for the construction of the temple are welcome. You can buy metal petals, write to them your desire and hang on a special tree. Visit the gallery with the works of Champtic Kositpipat, where you can see the sculptures and early painting artist.

In Wat Rong Khun it is better to come early in the morning or closer to the sunset so that tourists are not so much. White Temple can be visited with an excursion to the Golden Triangle from the city of Chiang Mai.

Location: 15 kilometers from Chiangra on Phahonyothin Road.
Coordinates: 19.824264, 99.763080
How to get there: By taxi or sonGTEO from the bus station near the night bazaar in the center of Chiangra.
Opening hours: From 8 am to 6 pm.

Perhaps the most unique temple in the Kingdom of Thailand, White Temple Wat Rong Khun is located in the province of Chiangray (Chiang Paradise), has appeared thanks to the fantasy of the Thai artist Chargemcha Kozitpipat. A deeply pious Buddhist, famous for his religious paintings, Chalkermchai began designing a building in 1997. However, the Church of Wat Rong Khun in appearance is not a traditional temple.

The artist rethinks Thai art to present it to the modern world. When you pass through the territory of the temple, then find yourself in a surrealistic vision of the object of Buddhist teaching. Superheroes, movie stars and cartoons become part of the temple frescoes depicting traditional Buddhist motifs. Fantastic sculptures and architecture make up the basis of the common landscape.

In May 2014, the earthquake inflicted a serious damage to the temple. Initially, the artist stated that he did not plan to restore the building. But later, it was decided to reconstruct it to the original species. A unique architectural work to this day is impressive tourists from all over the world.

Concept of white temple

Wat Rong Khun White Temple in Thailand is a complex detailed composition, where each element carries a deep religious symbolism. Although, according to Thai, not every value of the details is clear. Refusing to the expected gold, Chalkermchai decided to build the temple in white alabastra, symbolizing the purity of the Great Buddha. The mirrors built into the structure reflect the light representing the wisdom of the Buddha, sparkling through the Earth and the Universe.

Most of the temple messages refers to the theme of desire, greed, passion and movement to the sublime through Buddhist teachings. To get to the main temple hall, you need to go through the threshold guarded by the demons, and cross the bridge over the ocean of ghostly hands, rising from the death cycle to Renaissance. The temple building symbolizes the kingdom of the Buddha and goes back to the state of Nirvana.

What to see in the temple?

White Temple is still in the process of reconstruction. We recently completed all the details of the white slack, the main temple hall. A number of other buildings are at different stages of construction and finishing. It is expected that for complete recovery will require decades.

• Definitely visit the twinkling white temple. Stroll around the building to see his sculptures and a pool with fish.
• Look at the golden toilet. Remember how Chargemchai felt that white was a more appropriate color for the temple? He specifically chose gold for the toilet, giving up the modern world. Perhaps this is the most luxurious toilet not only in the kingdom, but also around the world. Apparently, this is a comment on how people worship worldly desires and what is their real value.
• Visit the art gallery. This relatively small building contains a number of artist's masterpieces. You can also buy high-quality reproductions, books and postcards at will.

How to get to the White Temple from Pattaya

Wat Rong Khun is located 13 km from Chiangray (Chiang Paradise). You can get by your transport, heading south to the side of Chiangray. If you go with a chiangray, you can take a bus or a bus with a 6 or 7 old bus station (Chiangrai has two main stations - old and new). Ask the bus driver to release you near Wat Rong Khun.

You can get from Pattaya to the city of Chiangray on, it will take it about 1.5 hours, the price of the ticket will cost 1650 baht.

You can also get by bus. From the Central Station of Pattaya, buses are sent every day, the cost of the ticket is 700-800 baht one way, however, the trip time will take 12-13 hours. In addition to ordinary buses, buses with high comfort are also running, so prices on tickets are different. The bus is probably the cheapest version of the trips to the temple. Since the roads in Thailand good bus ride will be comfortable.

The bus is 20 baht. Buses and minibuses for the way back to Chiangiths depart from the front of the police station. Most routes will be on the road to the city. You can also sit on Tuk Tuk. If you agree with the driver, then he can wait and pick you up on the way back.

Time to visit the temple

Wat Rong Hong is open every day from 6:30 to 18:00. The art gallery is open from Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 17:30. On Saturday and on holidays gallery is open from 8:00 to 18:00. How long can you spend time in the temple? Plan approximately 1 hour of visits. Visitors usually spend from 45 minutes to 2 hours in the temple, depending on how quickly they investigate it, how much are resting on the territory, and how much time is carried out in the art gallery, shopping beds.

Because of the white surface, reflective materials, and, mostly, an open unwanted layout of the temple, in warm sunny days in the temple can be hot and bright. To avoid heat, it is better to go there in an early morning, or put on things from natural fabric, headdress, take sunscreen, water.

If there is a series of terrible images in the building, the temple complex is still bright and cheerful, and you will be surrounded by many other visitors in a good mood. He is visited by many children. While little children can find some details terrible, the total atmosphere of the temple is raised and full beauty.

Rules of Visit Wat Rong Khun

The main goal of traveling to Wat Rong Khun is worshiping holy location. White temple is an honorary sacred place for Thais and a place for prayer and ritual. Many Thai tourists visit the temple to see his work. At the same time, they respect him in their religious meaning.

Respectively feel about Buddha's images and remember your behavior in the main temple hall. Photographing is allowed throughout, but not in the walls of the White Temple. It is not allowed to touch the sculptures and works of art, and remind your children so that they do not.

Casual dress is allowed for entry into the territory. As with all the temples, avoid disclosing clothes. It is not recommended to wear such clothes as short skirts or shorts for women. Short sleeve is good, but T-shirts for men or women are not suitable. Before entering the White Temple, it is recommended to remove shoes.

Costs for visiting the temple

The entrance to the temple is free for everyone. Due to the disrespectful behavior of some foreign tourists, Wat Rong Khun recently developed a policy requiring management for foreign tourists visiting the building of the main temple. However, the policy is not always applied. If you wish to order the accompaniment of the guide, with the temple there is its coordinates. The excursion fee with a knowledgeable guide is within a few hundred bays. If you enter the territory without manual, please feel about the temple with respect and refrain from photographing.

Video

Be sure to schedule a visit White Temple Wat Rong Khun. This is a very unusual, beautiful and impressive construction. It is possible to call it the Buddhist temple only for the overall similarity of its forms with the classic Thai temples, but in all the guides of Thailand, it is called this way.

In the photo: Tourists arrived in the White Temple, Thailand

How to get to the white temple and what to see

To find White church It is easy, you need to go from Chiang May on the highway 118, through Dawa Sake. White Temple is approximately 168 km. It is about ten kilometers without reaching Chiang Paradise. From the road, the turn to the temple is very noticeable, is a tourist place and there are always many buses with tourists.

In the photo: Entrance to the White Temple in Thailand

At the entrance to the territory White Temple All tourists are first rushed to a copper bell.

In the photo: Installation in front of the White Temple in Thailand

The passage between two pits with many elongated hands symbolizes the movement of a person through a series of life temptations on the way to enlightenment. The most sophisticated tourists have time to throw coins on the bowls of the suffering.

In the photo: Entrance to the White Temple in Thailand

Temple decorations look very intricate and stylish. All decorative elements of buildings and most sculptures in the White Temple are made from alabaster and are inlaid with small mirrors. In sunny weather, the surface of the white temple is glittered with hundreds of solar glare.

In the photo: Go around the main temple building

Inside White Temple Thais is prohibited taking pictures. It still does not finish the painting of the walls, but you can watch them. The plots of painting of the inner walls are chosen extremely mysteriously. The impression is as if the artist is trying to explain the whole essence of Buddhism, using only teenage-comic visual symbols. Here there was a place Matrix, Spiderman, Avatar, Space and a lot more ...

In the photo: The Decor of the White Temple of Thailand

The jewelry of the White Temple amazed fantasy, the skill of decoration and organity.

In the photo: White Temple of Thailand in all its glory

Garden that surrounds White church , small and very well-keeped. There are several ponds with fasten white and red fish. Separately standing trees emphasize the air and refinement of the white temple.

In the photo: Decorative elements in a white temple
In the photo: Tourists take pictures near the White Temple in Thailand

Beautiful alley next to a white temple is no less popular with tourists. If you arrive at the white temple yourself, you will have much more time to sit here on the benches next to the temple and watch.

In the photo: Golden Toilet next to the White Temple

Very Buddhist ridicule - no less majestic golden public toilet erected next to the White Temple. Tourists can not always definitely answer, which of the two buildings they are more impressed.

In the photo: The Golden Toilet, next to the White Temple

Golden decorative liner, decorating the roof and walls of the golden toilet, clearly competes with a decor of a white temple. Perhaps this is another hidden message for tourists ... :)

In the photo: one of the sculptures not far from the White Temple in Thailand

Among other sculptures, there is a mythical winged turtle, which protects the southern approach to the White Temple :)

Attractions in Thailand quite a lot and one of these places is the White Temple or Wat Rong Khun. This temple is even difficult to call the temple, rather this is a work of art that enters its beauty. It seems that you got into a fairy tale and before you there is a snow castle. There is a temple a few kilometers from Chiang Paradise, so if you are in these places, be sure to visit the White Temple in Thailand.

The construction of the temple began relatively recently in 1997 and continues until today. The idea of \u200b\u200bthe White Temple, as well as the temple itself belongs to the talented artist Chargemchay Kositpipat. The magic structure is his dream embodied in life. The means to build a temple complex, the artist collected for 20 years. He does not want someone to dictate their rules for the construction of the temple, so he does not take money from the sponsors. Even the chief engineer is his brother. Cheremchay Kositpipat is confident that thanks to the White Temple, the memory of him will live for many years.

Temple territory

The territory of the temple is well maintained and well equipped. There is a beautiful pond, which swims fish, as well as many fountains and sculptures of mythological creatures. Among all this beauty is nice to sit on the bench and make excellent photos.

On the territory of the temple at the moment there are three buildings: a white temple, art gallery and a gold structure, similar to a small palace, which is actually a public toilet. I would never have thought that the usual toilet could be so beautiful.

The owner plans to build another 6 buildings. The construction of some of them has already begun.

Near the temple complex there is a souvenir shop where you can buy magnets, postcards, and so on. Also located cafe where you can eat.

The main building is a white church that symbolizes paradise, and in order to get into it, you need to go through the worldly world, full of temptations, and then through hell with the crashing hands of sinners and fangs of Rahu (mythical demone-snake). And only then you get to the bridge that symbolizes the road to enlightenment, and leads to the temple.

Hands sinners
Bridge of Enlightenment

What is inside the temple?

When entering the White Temple, the signs hang, which report that inside the building is forbidden to shoot. But despite this, there are quite a few photos on the Internet.

Finding into the temple, you know that he is half empty: only lonely sitting statue of a monk and painted walls around. All drawings are created by the owner of the temple and symbolize the constant war between good and evil. Here you can see various characters fighting for good: Superman, Betman, Avatar, Terminator, Heroes from the Matrix and many others. Also on the walls depicted twin towers, rockets, weapons, cosmic ships. Over time, new pictures appear and many of them reflect our modern life.

How to get?

The easiest way to get to the White Temple from Chiang Paradise, for this it is necessary to drive in the direction of Chiang May about 12 km. On the road near the White Temple there will be a pointer, as well as a lot of buses and cars, so it is difficult to skip this place. More from Chiang Paradise to the White Temple can be reached on a minor from the old bus station.

Precise location of the White Temple See on the map.

Schedule

The temple works in a bright day of day without days off, the entrance is free.

As in any other Buddhist temple, it is necessary to dress accordingly: the knees and shoulders should be covered. If necessary, at the entrance you will be given pants, skirt or scarf.

The White Temple in Thailand amazes with its unusual beauty and many tourists come here from different countries. This place is definitely included in.

List of temples in the article:

The main temples are located in the northern and northwestern part of the city and are within walking distance from the old bus station and the night market. Thus, you do not have to hire transport and spend money on it. In fact, everything can be bypass in 2-4 hours (provided that each is spent 20-30 minutes). The entrance is free everywhere, the fee is not charged. But we must take into account that they usually open at 7-8 in the morning and closes in 18 hours.

It is better to inspect the temples on their own, because a sightseeing tour, bought in one of the travel agencies, is often limited to just a few shrines, and sometimes only a white temple (which is interesting, it was built only a few years ago and is not located in the city, and 12 km from him) .

In this summary, we will focus on four main churches (for your convenience they are all marked on the Google map at the bottom of the page). And in the next article we will tell about the rest.

White church

The official name is Wat Rong Khun, but in the commoner it is called the White Temple, because it has only this color in his structures. Chief Architect - Chamchay Kositpipat, all that you will see is his hands and the mind. Many are specially arrived from Chiang May, Bangkok and even Pattaya to see him. Well, he was specially conceived and created for tourists.

White Temple in Chiang Paradise began to be built in 1998. The main building was completed by 2008, after which the construction of other temple buildings on the territory began. Thus, he does not represent any religious and historical value and is interested in its unusual and directly say with a gloomy architecture. From afar, it is really seen beautiful and light, but if you get closer and consider the details, then some terrible creatures, evil dwarfs, skulls will appear. It is said that these are characters of Thai legends and religious scriptures.

Inside the white temple is painted by unpleasant paintings. The only light image is a meditative Buddha on the altar (there are two different colors there) and the picture with it. Hang plates prohibiting photographing, but no one pays attention to them. Therefore, a special person is delivered, which often smits, that it is impossible to remove it (though sometimes it goes out and here you can do what you want).

Right opposite the temple (on the territory of the temple complex) attracts the attention of the majestic yellow building. It seems that you will come inside and see the usual temple filling in the form of statues of Buddha. How wrong! This is a toilet! Really - Architect Big Crank. But on the other hand, go to such a sortier (straight royal) is very nice.

White Temple is 10-12 km south of Chiang Paradise (12 km from the northern part of the city and 10 km from South). You can get only on Tuk Tuka or our own transport. You need to go along the main road and look right - it will be on this side of the road (at the intersection, 100 meters from the main road). Free admission.

Wat Phra Kaew

Surely, many have heard this name in connection with. But there is a temple with such a name in Chiang Paradise. It was here that was found and for some time there was a statue of the Emerald Buddha, which was then transported to the capital of Thailand. It also costs her copy.

Inside the temple is a very unusual atmosphere. The center is the altar with the statue, and all the walls are highlighted with greenish light. No longer no lighting, so rather dark.

The temple was built 600-700 years ago (the exact date is unknown) and until 1434, as the statue of the Buddha was found, was called VAT PAY. On the territory, in the old wooden building, there is a museum.

The temple is a pair of kilometers from the city center, northwest of the old bus station.

Wat Pra Singh (Wat Phra Singh)

This temple of Chiang Paradise is one of the oldest in the city. Built in the 14th century. Many centuries here was a statue of Blue Sing, which is now in the main one. Now only a copy is now.

There are also several buildings and statues (and not only Buddha) on site. Attracts the attention of bright yellow chedi, but more by its color than scale.

Wat Pra Sing is close to the previous temple, a little east.

Wat Jedyod (Wat Jedyod)

Also has another pronunciation - Wat Chet Yot (Wat Chet Yot) - this temple in Chiang Rai was built in 1844. The name is translated as "seven peaks" because there are seven chedi. Interesting primarily, the main one restored in 1944 inside is a few small statues of Buddha (lying, sitting, standing), as well as a roof passage. And he is so narrow that some big people may not climb. From the roof is a good view of the entire territory. In one of the temple rooms there are 5 statues of monks.