If you are ever in Chiang Rai or even Chiang Mai, Wat Rong Khun aka the White Temple (in Chiang Rai) is a must visit if you're into art and or wats/Buddhism in general. If you're interested in getting to Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai, I've made a post about my experience with that HERE. After being inspired by Chiang Mai's silver temple (post is here), I did a quick online search and found the White Temple and two other spots that looked interesting so I quickly made arrangements to go as I only had a few days left in Chiang Mai.
Not having any time to spare (I planned to visit 3 places in Chiang Rai), I used the Grab app and booked a ride to the white temple (at a cost of $200 TBH) immediately after stepping off the bus because I didn't have time to mess around with the tuk tuk drivers or songthaew drivers. They are all at the back of the terminal, I didn't see any at the front, it'll probably be cheaper (highly dependent on your negotiating skills) to go via tuk tuk and songthaew. By the time I got to the front of the building, maybe 30 meters away, I got a message on the Grab app from the driver asking where I was and I replied with "in front of the building" to which I got a reply "me too". So I looked around and didn't see any car idling or coming down the street. Then someone came up to me and said, "Taxi?" to which I said "No, thanks" but he showed me the Grap app so I went with him. He was parked on the other side of the street. This was a first for me. Anyways, away we go! (Can you tell I'm excited?!)
If you're expecting your usual wat, you are in for a huge surprise, as I was. Just to prep you a bit, here's an excerpt from Wikipedia "It is a contemporary, unconventional, privately-owned art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple. It is owned by Chalermchai Kositpipat, who designed, constructed, and opened it to visitors in 1997." I didn't find monks praying/chanting inside the "white temple" nor "monk chat" sessions (at the time of this post) but I did find monks taking selfies outside and around the premises. The décor is definitely not the norm for wats, here's some examples of what you can find:
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I guess a bit of historic reference is needed. Wat Rong Khun was a wat at one point in time but for whatever reason had no funds for repairs so Mr. Chalemchai Kositpipat,an artist, had taken it upon himself to completely fund and rebuild the temple to what you see today and he's not done yet. The original plans for the entire compound is to have 9 buildings that include the "white temple" (which is the ubosot), a meditation and learning center, housing for monks, an art gallery, a hall of relics and others to be completed by 2070. I'd guess there will be a prayer hall and such for monks and the followers of Buddhism to practice their faith, it is a wat after all, right?
I wasn't prepared for just how stunning it was and it just kept getting better and better the closer I got to it. Nor did I know exactly how big the compound was. All the statues and buildings were well maintained and intricately detailed as was the rather large pond and water ways around the temple. Even the "under construction" buildings and areas that were off limits to the public looked neat and tidy unlike any construction site I've ever seen.
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When you're done with the ubosot and pond area, there are other areas to check out such as the washroom. Wait, what?! Yup, you should check it out. This building is at least 2 levels, done up in gold with intricate statues all around. Just looking at it you wouldn't be able to tell it's the toilets. Lucky, I didn't need to use the facilities because standing in front of the building, I couldn't tell where the "Mens room" was because both paths leading into the building had signs in Thai with the English word "women" on it. However, there are images of both male and female on both sides of the building! Being really short on time, I didn't go any closer but judging from the people buzzing about maybe I should have.
Beside the toilet building is the gift shop with the usual gift shop items as well smaller prints and art cards of the artist's work. On the other side there is a mural/display depicting a scene with the Monkey King/God, Sun Wukong, complete with bells you can ring. A bit further down the path is an area where you can offer incense and fruits and prayers in front of a Buddha statue in a jungle themed alcove.
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Oh almost forgot, there are eateries, snacks and gift shops in a plaza like area right beside the wat so you can plan to have a meal or two there. I hadn't eaten anything yet so I just grabbed a couple of Gatorades and croissant like things from a shop and off I went to the next stop. Again the Grab driver was already there, in the parking lot of the plaza, lucky me.
NOTE: Even on an overcast day such as it was the day I was there, the buildings are really, really bright and glittery. I lowered the brightness of the images (a fair bit) in this post to better define the details, so bring a pair of sunglasses just in case it gets too bright.
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