Upon arriving you will be welcomed by hands and feet out of the water , as if humans were drowned . In the gardens there are statues of creatures coming from the world of darkness , dragons , skeletons and mouths open of rooftop gargoyles all ready for you devour .
No, you are not at the gates of hell, but at the entrance of Wat Rong Khun also called The Temple Blanc.
Located at 13 km south of Chiang Rai , the Artist Chalermchai Kositpipat native of Chiang Rai built this temple as offerings to the current King of Thailand Rama IX and at his town .
When the Temple will be finished it will consist of 9 separate buildings. Its main distinguishing feature is his white colour with inlaid mirrored glass. The white color of the Temple represents the Lord Buddha’s purity while the white glass stands for the Lord Buddha’s wisdom that shines brightly all over the earth.
For this extraordinary artist , Buddha represents the purity in the attainment of Nirvana .
Also, do not be suprised to find in different areas of the park around the temple, people and artistes who work , this place is constantly changing. The artist say by himself he will probably still be working on the project until the day when he dies.
Take your time to visit this amazing place , statues out of the lawn, cranes are hanging on the trees , all the places are the representation of our world that is sick.
There are several building in the park and in one of them the artist sells his works , one of the buildings like a golden temple is none other than the toilet , even this place is to visit.
Take a tour around the temple and enter inside. Now keep a good memory in everything you see because the pictures are prohibited and a guard is here to ensure that you respect.
In the temple, Buddha is sitting, he dominates a painted fresco extraordinaire on the temple walls , a contemporary fresco where you can see there an Alien , Superman , Batman , Avatar, Predator , Matrix , Nemo, Michael Jackson, Bob marley , James Bond , hundreds of characters from the world of arts, cinema , song , politics , full of people all walks of in the gaping mouth of a huge and magnificent monster. This place as a huge quizz, play to try to recognize the characters .
This tour is pationnante , this place has nothing to do with what you ‘ve seen elsewhere in the world , it will be a strong place and unforgettable of your visit in Thailand .
But did you know , just as there has ying and yang , east and west and the moon and the sun, this beautiful white temple located south of Chiang Rai has olso his otherwise situated 10 km north of the city. the black temple but I let you wait next week to discover
Hours Wat Rong Khun
Wat Rong Khun is open every day from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm.
The art gallery is open Mon – Fri 8:00 am to 5:30 pm. On Sat – Sun and national holidays the gallery is open 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
How Long Should We Spend There?
Plan on approximately between 45 minutes and 2 hours at the temple.
depending on how much time you spend in the art gallery, shopping stalls and dining area.
Getting to the White Temple from Chiang Mai
You can also rent a car Rent count about 1000 baht per day and 400 Bahta gasoline. Before Chiang Rai after about 185 km, the White Temple is visible on your left.
You can go through a travel agency for a Day tours, prices vary from 2000 to 5000 baht per person depending on your package …
But the easiest way is to take the bus to the Sation Chiang Mai to go Chiang Rai which well deserves a night or two for his market and for his temples.
Getting to the White Temple with Taxi or Tuk Tuk
You can take a Taxi or Tuk Tuk but there is a local bus that departs from platform 8 of the old bus station in the town center. Just tell the driver or conductor that you want to get off at Wat Rong Khun, and they will make sure the bus stops there.
It’s a 13 km journey from town and costs 20 baht per person. They will drop you off on the side of a dual carriageway, and the temple is on the opposite side, around 100 meters away. Be very careful when crossing the road, as there isn’t any pedestrian crossing there.To get back to Chiang Rai, just wait at the opposite side of the road from where you were dropped off, or a bit further along outside the police station. You can flag down any bus or songthaew, as most are heading towards Chiang Rai.
Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple from Chiang Mai
