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| Location of temple |
If you think that Thai temples all look alike, you probably have a misconceived idea of the country's culture. It is true, however, that Buddhist Wats (temples) are commonly built on the same religious concept. But they have been designed with many different looks. Some are old, some are new. And the new ones are not necessarily less interesting. Their architecture and decoration vary with the mood of a benefactor or an influent monk. They are standing in harmony with their community surrounding but some can be totally incongruous. Others are simply hidden gems, rarely mentioned in guidebooks, not to say ever visited by tourists.
Bangkok alone has an incredible number of shrines and Wats. Many of the Wats are rightly praised for their art or their incommensurate beauty. Visitors to the City of Angels want to go and see Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Wat Pho [วัดโพธิ์] (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), Wat Saket [วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร] (The Golden Mount), Wat Traimit [พระพุทธมหาสุวรรณปฏิมากร] (Temple of the Golden Buddha), or even Wat Ratchabophit and its Giant Swing.
However, today here is the story of a Wat, which fits into many criteria: it is totally incongruous; it is far away from any visited places in town, and finally it is designed in a modern spirit using the best of all traditional Thai Art. It simply blows you away.
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| The Chao Phraya River view from the temple |
It is called Wat Pariwat. Now, let's get a clear picture of its location on the left bank of the Chao Phraya River, in one far end eastern corner of Bangkok. Apart from the river, its surrounding does not offer a particularly inviting image. They are building a gigantic apartment building on its western wing that seems to dwarf the temple. And actually, there are two sides to it.
Firstly, there is a modern hall known here as the David Beckham Temple. What has this British
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| David Beckham (on the right) |
footballer to do with the temple? Simply, inside, on the main Buddha shrine, there is a golden statue of David Beckham, on the far right side of the pedestal! The head monk of the temple was an ardent supporter of Manchester United. Therefore, he thought it would be a good idea to keep an image of David Beckham there, even though this famous footballer does not belong to the club anymore...
At one time, a few visitors came to see it, as it was a real novelty filmed even by the BBC. Now, the door to the praying hall is locked. So, you have to ask permission
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| Temple window |
to get in. Actually, asking for the key was a real blessing (something you may find natural in a holy place!) A young, skinny bespectacled monk came to accompany my friend and me inside the praying hall. Luckily, he spoke good English and we were able to have a long conversation with him.
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| Wat Pariwat ubosot |
Because in reality, we had not come strictly to see the David Beckham's effigy. They are in the process of working on and adjoining temple on the compound. My friend had come there once before, and she wanted to know how was the construction going. And this is the real point of this article. What is being done there is absolutely stunning! This is, in fact, the future Wat Pariwat.
When you are outside, it only seems that they are building another classic Thai temple. It has a long square wall delimiting the compound. And inside, there are two ubosots: a large one that looks completed from a distance, and a smaller temple parallel to the main one. The roof of the main ubosot does not look different from other identical edifices, except that some of the colors are unusual. Once, you enter the inner yard and get a closer look at the ubosot, this is when you experience the first surprise. A group of 30 craftsmen (there were only a few on the day) are working to carve the walls of the temple. But instead of being simple carvings, each section is engraved with colorful designs. The interior seems pretty much completed. Some of the colored friezes reveal 3-D figures. The walls hold
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| Wall encrustation |
effigies of Thai, Chinese or western characters. Albert Einstein, a Roman Emperor, and what I think is William Shakespeare share the space. It is hard to imagine there are still gifted craftsmen in this country, who are able to carry on such an ancient skill. The gilded Buddha image is the only original work of art. It comes from the Sukhothai period, 700 hundred years ago. It has been restored in order to find its place in this extraordinary ubosot. Looking more closely at the roof decoration, it seems like being a blend of Thai, Hindu, and Chinese cultures. There is also a host of animal sculptures making this roof quite unique.
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| Craftsman at work |
The construction started nine years ago. The Sukhothai Buddha image of Wat Pariwat was restored seven years ago. But it will take another twenty-five years to complete everything!
The smaller temple beside the main ubosot is not finished yet. However, it has interesting supporting pillars around the roof. Most represent Eastern characters. Two are more striking to a western eye. One shows the effigy of a Red Indian chief; the other represents a wild west cowboy holding two revolvers in his hands!
It will be interesting to follow up the construction of this amazing place. It seems that this Buddhist monastery wants to be the receptacle of major cultures regardless of whatever surprise it might raise to the eye of western taste. And yes, Thai people love soccer and the country craves for the American Wild West.
Christian Sorand
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| Roman emperor |
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| 3-D indoor frieze |
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| William Shakespeare? |
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| Ceiling |
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| Porch column |
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| Roof view |
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| Roof animals |
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| Wall encrustation |
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| Red Indian Chief |
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| Gunned cowboy |
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