Sala Kaew Ku is a grandiose and eccentric religion park in northern Thailand, full of huge statues of Buddha, Shiva and Ganesh
The Bangkok Post has a fascinating article on Sala Kaew Ku, the eccentric religion park built by the late Luang Puu. Here’s an extract:
Sitting by the banks of the Mekong River on the border with Laos, Nong Khai Province boasts many attractions, both natural and man-made. Sala Kaew Ku, four or five kilometres southeast of the town, falls in the latter category. It’s a religion park, one that’s different from any other. And that was because it was built by one of Thailand’s most colourful and eccentric men Luang Puu Bunleua Surirat, or Luang Puu, as his followers called him.
Luang Puu arrived in Thailand in 1978 after spending two years in a Laotian jail, after he was accused of being a secret agent for the American CIA. He eventually escaped and, upon his arrival, purchased a 50 rai plot near Nong Khai for a mere five thousand baht, an amazing bargain. He then enlisted the aid of several devotees and proceeded to build a temple and fill the grounds with a collection of concrete statues that fairly boggle the mind.
Giant 35 metres tall effigies of Buddha, Shiva, Ganesh, and virtually every other deity known to oriental religions dominate the landscape. When he first arrived Luang Puu personally constructed a giant multi-headed snake and two figures with a trident, but as the passing years took their toll, his role became more of a supervisory one. He’d sit in a small shelter in the garden and shout instructions to his artisans through a megaphone as they toiled on rickety bamboo scaffolding erected around the giant figures.
Wikipedia Travel and The Seoul Times also have informative articles about the Religion Park, while Deva Deep has a gallery of excellent photos.
I haven’t been to Sala Kaew Ku, but it reminds me of Wat Xieng Khuan – also known as Buddha Park – a few miles outside the Laos capital of Vientiane. Nong Khai is right on the Lao border, so perhaps the two parks are related.
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