Its history is very interesting. Towards the end of the 20th century, the original Wat Rong Khun became very dilapidated. There were no funds for its restoration. That’s when Chalermchai Kositpipat decided to build a completely new temple.
The artist’s intended for the whole area surrounding the temple to become the learning and meditation centre. He also wanted people to benefit by gaining an insight into the Buddhist teachings.
The artist views the temple as his offering to Buddha and believes that it will bring him immortal life.
The ongoing works on the temple may finish around 2070, which will be well after the artist’s death.
Thai people do not pay to enter into the temple, however foreigners are charged 50 baht. In order to preserve his artistic independence, the artist accepts donations, but not more than 10000 bath.
When completed, the White Temple complex will have nine buildings, including the existing ubosot, hall of relics, meditation hall, art gallery and living quarters for the monks.
The temple has more than one roof. The building has a three-tiered roof, inspired by the traditional design of Buddhist temples in Thailand.
The white colour symbolises purity of Buddha. Temples in Thailand are very often decorated or adorned in gold colour but, for this temple, the artist has chosen white.
Nearly everything about the temple depicts a religious or symbolic message. Every detail carries a meaning. It encourages visitors to reflect on the Buddhist teachings that show you how to escape from worldly temptations, desires and greed and focus on the mind instead.
In my Chiang Rai post, I mentioned that the temple was very busy when I was there. Probably, the best time to visit it is in the early morning. I believe that, at that time of the day, there will be fewer people. If you go there early, hopefully you will be able to enjoy this beautiful place without too many people around. The temple is a superb masterpiece and it is understandable that many people want to see it.
If you are staying in Chiang Rai, the best thing to do is to hire a tuk-tuk, but arrange with the driver to wait for you while you are visiting the temple. My driver waited for me for one hour. Then, he took me back to Chiang Rai and to the Blue Temple, which I visited afterwards.
However, if you are in Chiang Mai and you want to visit this temple, you will have a very long day. It takes approximately 4 hours from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai by bus and also 4 hours back. Additionally, excursions usually include visits to other sites, which means that there will be a lot of travelling. But, this also means that there will be very little time to visit the actual sites that you want to see.
In any case, this temple is magical. It is probably the most beautiful of all things that I saw during my stay in Thailand.
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