Buddha Park

Buddha Park, also known as Xieng Khuan (as well as other variations of the spelling), is a sculpture park located 25 km southeast from Vientiane, Laos in a meadow by the Mekong River.[1][2] Although it is not a temple (Wat), the park may be referred to as Wat Xieng Khuan (Lao: ວັດຊຽງຄວນ;Thai: วัดเซียงควน), since it contains numerous religious images.[3] The name Xieng Khuan means Spirit City.[2] The park contains over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues.[4] The socialist government operates Buddha Park as a tourist attraction and public park.[3]

Contents

Overview

The park was started in 1958 by Luang Pu (Venerable Grandfather) Bunleua Sulilat.[2] Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat was a priest-shaman who integrated Hinduism and Buddhism.[2] His unique perspective was influenced by a Hindu rishi under whom he studied in Vietnam.[5] After the revolution in 1975, he fled from Laos to Thailand where he built another sculpture park, Sala Keoku in Nong Khai.[1][5] He fled because his anti-Communist beliefs conflicted with the views of the Pathet Lao.[5] After Luang Pu Bunleua Sulitat left, the state took control of his garden and made it into a public park.[5]

The statues are made of reinforced concrete and are ornate, and sometimes bizarre, in design.[5] The statues appear to be centuries old, though they are not. There are sculptures of humans, gods, animals, and demons.[4] There are numerous sculptures of Buddha, characters of Buddhist beliefs like Avalokiteshvara, and characters of Hindu lore, including Shiva, Vishnu, and Arjuna.[2] These sculptures were presumably cast by unskilled workers under the supervision of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat.[2] One notable sculpture resembles a giant pumpkin.[1] It has three stories representing three levels - Hell, Earth and Heaven.[1] Visitors can enter through an opening which is a mouth of a 3-metre-tall demon head (9.8 ft) and climb staircases from hell to heaven.[4] Each story contains sculptures depicting the level. At the top, there is a vantage point where the entire park is visible.[4] Another sculpture, an enormous 120-metre-long (390 ft) reclining Buddha, is also a park attraction.[6]

Gallery

 
 
 
 

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jeff Cranmer; Steven Martin; Kirby Coxon (November 2002). Rough guide to Laos. Rough Guides. pp. 111–112. ISBN 9781858289052. http://books.google.com/books?id=qSTQdorOvr0C&pg=PA111. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f Nick Ray; Thomas Huhti (2007). Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & the Greater Mekong. Lonely Planet. p. 271. ISBN 9781741047615. http://books.google.com/books?id=9i1zYNbcgwsC&pg=PA271. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Let's Go, Inc. Staff (18 November 2004). Southeast Asia. Macmillan. p. 106. ISBN 9780312335670. http://books.google.com/books?id=I52jB28QKokC&pg=PA304. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  4. ^ a b c d "Vientiane Attractions - What to See in Vientiane". http://www.visit-mekong.com/laos/vientiane/attractions.htm. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Jock O'Tailan (17 June 2008). Footprint Laos. Footprint Travel Guides. p. 82. ISBN 9781906098186. http://books.google.com/books?id=OHd2sa4IBFUC&pg=PA82. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 
  6. ^ "Buddha Park, a photo from Vientiane, North". trekearth.com. http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Laos/North/Vientiane/Vientiane/photo1162284.htm. Retrieved 18 June 2011. 

External links

Media related to Buddha Park at Wikimedia Commons
Colossal Buddha statues