A contemporary Buddhist temple complex outside Chiang Rai, built entirely in glittering white and mirror mosaic, with a bridge over a “hell” pit of reaching hands.
Wat Rong Khun was begun in 1997 by artist Chalermchai Kositpipat on the site of an older temple. It is still unfinished and may take decades more. The main ubosot is brilliant white, covered in fragments of mirror that catch the sun. To reach it you cross a bridge over a sculpted “hell” of hundreds of outstretched hands.
Mythical creatures, murals mixing Buddhist imagery with pop culture, and side buildings (including art spaces) fill the compound. The effect is highly dreamlike and highly unreal: a sacred precinct that looks like it was assembled from ice, glass and magic.
Key features include:
- All-white, mirror-encrusted ordination hall
- Bridge over a “hell” of reaching hands
- Unfinished, evolving contemporary temple complex
- Strong dreamcore/portal atmosphere
- Adjacent art gallery
Photo credits: “Gate of heaven guarded by Rahu and Death, who decide the fate of the dead” by Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0 , “Unrestrained desire (foreground) – The amazing Wat Rong Khun (White Temple)” by Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0 , https://www.pexels.com/photo/ornamented-white-temple-10951030/ , Tripadvisor
