Those flying from Bangkok to Udon Thani (Isan) should also visit Nong Khai and the extraordinary Salaeoku sculpture garden, set up by the monk Launpou Bounleua, who died in 1996.
Leunpou was inspired for his images by Indian magazines. The statues of Buddhas, nagas (many-headed serpents) and other figures are sometimes 15 meters high. The main building contains a precious and precious collection of statues of Buddha and Ganesh, the four-headed elephant god. Launpou sleeps his eternal sleep on the top floor. The story went for years that his remains refused to decay, but that is no longer alluded to.
Sala Keoku is an impressive park full of huge concrete sculptures based on Buddhist and Hindu mythology. These gigantic, fantastical figures reflect both traditional Thai and Lao spirituality, but they are also inspired by Sulilat's unique vision and philosophy. The statues, some over 20 meters high, are both beautiful and enigmatic and have made the park a major tourist attraction.
A remarkable aspect of Sala Keoku is that it represents the vision of a single artist, unlike many other religious sites that have been built and changed by several people over time. The sculptures exude a deep personal spirituality and invite visitors to reflect on the mysteries of life, death, and the nature of good and evil.
Video: Salaeoku Sculpture Garden
Watch the video here:
Doing !
Sala Keew Ku is located 5 km east of the city on the road to Phon Phisai and is worth a visit. There is a small entrance fee. In the hot time try to come early in the morning because you will burn alive. There is a museum that is covered and cool. And a large fish pond with cyprinids; no, don't catch, feeding is allowed….
Nongkhai is located about 55 km north of Udon Thani. If you don't have your own transport, there is the train, bus or taxi.
We stopped there by chance last year and didn't know what we saw.
It's really fantastic. The statues but also the whole atmosphere of the sculpture garden.
Recommended .
Gerrit
Well worth it, Sala Kaew Ku aka Wat Khek, I went there years ago, at the time little was described in English, I don't know how this is now, but there is a whole story to it, at the time there was a guide around who brought the story in Thai.
Sala Keew Ku is really a relief after many visits to the "ordinary" temples.
There is so much symbolism in the images that one involuntarily thinks back to the old Grimm fairy tales.
We walked around for hours and took beautiful pictures.
Highly recommended for those who come to the Nongkhai region.
Michael VW
The entrance to the park is only 20 baht for foreigners. Be sure to walk around and take your time. This Laotian monk had previously built a similar park practically opposite here, but on the other side of the Mekong and therefore in Laos. This so-called Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan) is also definitely worth a visit if you are in Vientiane. By the way, you will find more details here given the fine mosaic. However, the monk has been expelled from the country by the communists in Laos and has started a new park here in Thailand. He is also buried there. View the huge figures, but also follow the "path of life" by entering through the huge vulva (vagina), which is shown here as a mouth with teeth (?). The first image you will find directly in front of you represents the ovary (the ovaries and fallopian tubes). So you have now ended up in a woman who simply gives life! Then walk to the left (!) and follow the complete life as from a baby to death. You come across various stages and even recognizable facts in life through all kinds of images. It is a fantastic sensation to be able to see this in this way! I am in this park every 14 days and I keep discovering special facts and things worth knowing despite the fact that the information in English is very poor. However, many Thais do not agree with the ideas of this monk because of the lack of complete agreement with the pure Buddhist teachings and so they avoid this very special sculpture park.
It might be useful for the editors to adapt the name to the Thai name: sala keew ku, as you can see in the film, although sala keo ku also occurs. I miss the 'k' in the name of the article.
Unfortunately, the special sculpture park is in a poor state of repair and that in the 26 years that I visit it from time to time. Repairs to the statues are not possible due to lack of money. Too bad for such a unique project.
Maybe they should increase the entrance fees for farang from 20 to 200 baht so they can maintain it a bit, but it wasn't that bad!!! that was the last time I was there!!!
And that was in June with family, it is a beautiful park with nice shops outside the park, because Mr. Erik means he misses the K of what????
The same goes for the name of the monk who set up the temple complex, Erik. This must be Luang Pu Boonlua Surirat.
Been there a little before 2000 and had the question erik already answered - typically Thai.
But over the years I've seen many more reports of those kinds of terrifying temple statues, there must have been at least 20 of them distributed by TH. In addition to statues, there are many more with terrifying paintings. This also occurs in other Buddhist regions, such as Tibet. Who knows if there is an overview of this?
When I was in Udon Thani we also went to the sculpture garden and the temple in Nong Khai every time.
Always loved walking through that garden. Well worth it.
The similar sculpture garden across the Mekong in Laos is much better maintained. If you are in Vientiane this is definitely worth a visit.