The White Temple
Also known as The White Palace. Wat Rong Khun
is regarded as one of the most beautiful temples built in this century. A masterpiece of artist Chalarmchai Kositpipat, famed for his extravagant and unique Buddhism-related paintings, Wat Rong Khun reflects the artist’s grand visions of Heaven, Hell
and Nirvana. This Buddhist temple is pure white and coated in tiny mirrors which shine so bright on a sunny day that its appearance is almost blinding to the eye, the main assembly hall and adjacent area are carved in white with glass mosaics.Surrounded by
fountains and pools of water which are home to dozens of albino Japanese fish (koi-carp) the temple is an incredible sight to behold. The temple and its grounds are constantly undergoing renovation due to Kositpipat’s desire for perfection. The
project is predicted to take ninety years to complete and the artist has plans in place to ensure that his work is continued long after his death. The construction started in 1997 and the assembly hall is not yet completed, only two walls have so far been
painted with a depiction of heaven and hell. Look closely and you’ll see pictures of international heroes like Spiderman, Sailor Moon and even Ben 10 hidden in the murals. When it’s completed (it could take 50 years), the temple will have nine
buildings. Donations are welcome but should not exceed B10,000 as Chalermchai doesn’t want to be under the influence of big donors, even though he’s spent more than B40 million of his own cash.
Construction began in the late 1990s, but areas of the facade are still blank slates ready to be covered. No matter how that turns out, the white temple is unlike any Buddhist temple in the world. In fact, although worshippers
come here daily, this is more of an elaborate art project than a devotion to the Buddha.