If you spend enough time in Thailand soon enough most temples begin to blend into each other – although still beautiful, they tend to follow the same aesthetic mould. Having been here for almost six months I was pretty sure that I was all “templed” out. That was until I laid eyes on the trippiest, most eclectic and truly breath-taking temple I have ever seen! Located in the province of Phetchabun, which is situated almost exactly in the centre of Thailand, the temple of Wat Pha Sorn Kaew can be found in the district of Khao Kho. The temple is off the beaten track, tucked neatly in amongst the sprawling Phetchabun Mountain range. Following a little road off the highway, it was clear that this was a very popular spot with the locals – traffic was backed up for easily a kilometre or two! Making our way up the road and weaving through all the vehicles, I soon saw what all the fuss was about – sitting on top of the hill was an enormous five-tiered white Buddha image surrounded by sprawling temple grounds. The massive Buddha statue sits atop a temple adorned with millions of tiny mosaic tiles, and has two spiral metal orb featuring steel ornate balls flanking it. Looking at the entire scene head-on you get the sense of tripping, the almost surreal hallucinatory educing temple is such a visual feast. No detail has been spared, and every part – from the floors, walls and every inch of the temple – has been carefully decorated with colourful detail. Adjacent to this snow-white sensory smorgasbord is the second half of the temple grounds, and the part that is reminiscent of Gaudi’s work. The overall theme is darker in this corner of the temple, with more focus being placed on the golden Buddha statues adorning the entrance on the lower level. A spiral staircase leads up to two more levels, each offering a beautiful view of the temple grounds. There is a lot more detail to be seen in this part of the temple – a rainbow of colours on each wall will mesmerise you. If you take a closer look you will find a host of ceramics (from teacups, plates, tea pot lids) carefully cemented around beads and semi-precious stones. What’s more amazing is that many of the designs are symmetrical, a clear indication that someone carefully thought of each pattern and element. Not much info is available on the net about this temple. It’s not a popular tourist spot and rather serves as a well-kept local secret. There are two contrasting stories to the origin of this temple – one is that it was created as a commemoration to the late King Bhumibol for his 60th birthday and another is that the land was donated by a wealthy family to serve as a Buddhist learning centre. There are apparently five million mosaic pieces throughout the entire temple, but once you’ve been there it’s easy to believe that this could be an underestimation.
This was undeniably the most beautiful temple I have seen yet and it will be a serious challenge trying to find one that outshines Wat Pha Sorn Kaew!
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AuthorWriter. Dreamer. Lover. Explorer. Teacher. Archives
July 2017
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