The White Temple - Wat Rong Khun

Chiang Rai, a city established in 1262 BC and which has seen many years of change and conflict, is now the northernmost large city in Thailand.  It has several claims to fame but the the one I want to tell you about is the amazing White Temple (Wat Rong Khun).  When we arrived at this stunning site we were greeted with a beautiful white, glistening temple which immediately reminded me of Canadian Ice Palaces from the dead of winter.  It was beautiful and definitely unique in the style of temples seen to date!

This modern temple is still under construction, having only been started in 1997 by an unconventional Buddhist artist by the name of Chalermchai Kositpipat.  He decided to build a new temple as an offering to Lord Buddha and it has been under work ever since.  The cool part about this temple is its contemporary messages offered at every turn.  Most temples start with the premise of evil and show the way to heaven through pictures, sculptures and legends painted on the walls.  On that front, this temple is no different.  However, what is different are the images.  Anyone from modern society can relate to the artists' renditions of the Twin Towers, Michael Jackson, G.W. Bush, or modern super heroes such as Batman, Spiderman and others which are at the entrance to the temple.  From there we saw artists up on scaffolding working along at painting in more images of peace and heavenly virtues. It was almost like Michelangelo revisited.  

The other panels and more paintings that we saw in the adjacent museum were very fantasy-like in their depiction of dragons, horses, and other celestial bodies.  They were bright pinks, blues, greens- a medley of colours and one almost thought of Disney animation but this was different, creative, and uniquely Thai in style. We were unable to take photos inside the temple (which was actually the exact opposite of all other temples we'd visited) but it was certainly interesting to see how it was being built.  

After walking through, we went to the rear of the property and had a chance to walk through the actual workshop where the plaster-type scrolls, dragons, and other segments were being made.  They were all in white and there were piles of silver, metal, shiny pieces of glass ready to be cut and labouriously placed onto the adornments.  Each piece is hand cut and then glued in place.  They are then covered with white paint (or plaster) before being moved to the temple and set in place.  Then, other workers must scrape off the covering paint and the shiny pieces are once again revealed.  The temple really does glisten and it is interesting to see how it's done.  

The whole complex will not be white and there are already several gold buildings in place.  The complete site may take another 60 or so years to complete but is totally fascinating all the way.  One contemplates what future generations will think of this, as we think of the very old temples and their histories that we had seen to date.

One of the funny things was the cut-out standup of the artist/owner at the entrance.  He reminded me of a used car salesman promotion from TV.  He was most welcoming as you can see and everyone stood to have their picture taken by him.  However, later as we were having coffee, our guide saw him pass and pointed him out.  I took off after him and was lucky enough to not only meet him and exchange a few words but to have my picture taken with him - the real man!  He was charming and gracious and certainly pleased that we appreciated his work.

Funding for the project comes totally from donations and sales of Kositpipat's original artwork.  There was a little art gallery next to the complex and the pictures were really very good.  Too bad I don't have $3000 to contribute.

If you are in Chiang Rai, this should definitely be one of your stops.
More another day.