The White Temple of Thailand

                            
    It snowed last night, and when I got up it was 5 degrees. Chores were not as much fun that morning...but it was beautiful...like living in a Christmas Card. The trees and fences were frosted in stark white, the sky so blue it hurt your eyes. 

     I heard that special scrunchy sound made only by walking on snow. Then the peacefulness was broken by a flock of noisy Canada geese flying low overhead. 

         While feeding my rambunctious, hungry "herd",

I thought how fortunate I was to be enjoying such a magical moment. And gazing at a world dipped in snow I remembered an article about the White Temple of Thailand.                               Wat Rong Khun, stands outside the town of Chiang Rai. Contemporary, unconventional, and privately owned, the white color and the use of pieces of glass in the plaster, sparkling in the sun, make it unique among temples. 
Built in 1997, by Thai visual artist, Chalermachai Kositpipat to date the temple is not finished. 
Eventually there will be nine buildings including a holy prayer room, a hall to enshrine Buddhist relics, a meditation hall, the monks living quarters and an art gallery.

             

 The main building, is reached by crossing a bridge over a small lake. In front of the bridge are hundreds of outreaching hands that symbolize unrestrained desire. 

The bridge proclaims that the way to happiness is by foregoing temptation, greed, and desire. 

Next to the lake stand two very elegant Kinnaree, half-human, half-bird creatures from Buddhist mythology.

The interior houses a gallery of great visual contrast. Lots of reds and oranges with murals of flame interspersed with modern day and ancient people and characters. It is said to be quite unsettling.

(Although they can be found on-line, photo's of the interior are forbidden.) 

        

There is something both very romantic and

very macabre about this place!