White temple อ าเภอเ ม อง chiang rai

Wat Rong Khun, popularly known as the White Temple, is a stunning example of how tradition and modern art can coexist. It is located in the tranquil surroundings of Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province. This recognizable Buddhist temple has gained notoriety as a landmark, luring tourists from all over the world to behold its transcendent beauty.

A Quick History of Wat Rong Khun:

Wat Rong Khun was built as a continuous artistic endeavor and was founded by renowned Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat in 1997. In contrast to conventional temples, this masterpiece displays a singular fusion of conventional Thai architecture and cutting-edge aesthetic features.

Amazing architectural feats

The White Temple’s beautiful facade, which is embellished with fine white plasterwork, mesmerizes spectators. A touch of grandeur is added by the mirrored glass mosaic detailing, which reflects the sunlight in a stunning show. With its elaborate carvings and symbolic sculptures, the main ubosot, or meeting hall, serves as the center of attention. Each component weaves a timeless narrative with great meaning.

Spiritual and Symbolic Meaning:

Visitors pass the cycle of rebirth as they walk across the bridge leading to the temple, which is symbolized by the outstretched hands below the bridge. Everything about it is symbolic, from the guardian statues at the door to the interior celestial murals. Buddhism and modern art work together to provide a special environment for reflection and spiritual contemplation.

Currently Active Artistry:

The unusual sculptures and murals inside the temple show how Chalermchai Kositpipat’s imagination transcends categorical limitations. In order to transmit timeless moral teachings, the artist makes use of prominent icons from contemporary pop culture, such as superheroes and movie characters. The spiritual experience provided by Wat Rong Khun is made more intriguing by this contrast of the old and new.

Reconstruction and on-going Creation:

In 2014, a significant earthquake caused significant damage to areas of Wat Rong Khun. However, a thorough restoration effort was made possible because to the artist and the community’s tenacious nature. The temple’s continuing renovations and rebuilding represent the eternal search for spiritual enlightenment and the transience of all things.

visitor encounter

Beyond its magnificent architecture, Wat Rong Khun offers guests an experience that changes them. Reflection is encouraged by the peacefulness of the surrounding gardens, the aroma of incense, and the soft hum of prayer. Visitors frequently spend hours wandering around the temple complex, taking in the fine intricacies and reflecting on the important ideas represented in the artwork.

Impact on Culture and Recognition:

Wat Rong Khun has developed beyond its status as a place of worship to become an international cultural phenomenon. It has drawn art fans, spiritual searchers, and curious travelers alike thanks to its inclusion in several travel guides and movies. The temple’s influence on the neighborhood and the fabric of Thai culture is immense.

Keeping the Legacy Alive:

There are ongoing efforts to conserve Wat Rong Khun’s cultural and aesthetic history as it continues to change. A tribute to the commitment of those responsible for the temple’s stewardship is the delicate balance struck between upholding the holiness of the building and allowing for the flourishing of artistic expression.

Conclusion:

Wat Rong Khun is a symbol of how tradition and modernity can coexist peacefully. For individuals looking to embark on a transformative journey, it is a must-visit location due to its ethereal beauty and profound meaning. In the center of Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province, this famous temple is still a source of spiritual illumination and creative inspiration.

Thailand had always been at the top of my travel bucket list, so when we finally visited as a family, I felt deeply inspired by the country’s beauty and culture. Some of our favorite memories from this trip are the experiences we had in Northern Thailand. After spending four unforgettable days in Chiang Mai, we traveled to Chiang Rai and stayed there overnight before flying south to Phuket. While many visitors choose to spend all of their time in and around Chiang Mai, we couldn’t miss an opportunity to see the stunning Wat Rong Khun, better known among tourists as the White Temple in Thailand. Located on the outskirts of Chiang Rai, this temple is a mind-boggling masterpiece of Buddhist art; one that’s defined by incredible detail, bizarre sculptures, hidden meanings, and surreal beauty!

Where to Stay

While in Chiang Mai, we stayed at Chada Mantra Hotel, a nice place in a great location with a fantastic restaurant in the lobby. If you don’t mind sleeping on a firm bed, you will love it here! In Chiang Rai, we booked a night at The Garage Guesthouse. It wasn’t in a central location, but the staff was lovely and the rooms were comfortable and clean. Not to mention, the price was great! To see other highly rated options from Booking.com in Chiang Mai, click HERE, and for Chiang Rai, go HERE. We have filtered out the lower-rated listings for you! Booking.com is our favorite website for finding great places to stay all over the world! They offers amazing flexibility on payments and cancellations!

Our Tour of the White Temple in Thailand

Our trip to the White Temple in Thailand was a part of a custom tour we booked with Travel Hub Chiang Mai. I must say they did a fantastic job planning the itinerary for us and organizing an entire day of sightseeing with a certified TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) tour guide. By all means, give them a try if you are looking for a great tour from Chiang Mai! They have tons of options to great locations in the nearby area and further away.

An Early Start

On the morning of our trip, we got picked up from our hotel in Chiang Mai by a comfortable van with AC and plenty of space for all our luggage. Our tour guide, the lovely Ms. Kwan, greeted us bright and early and explained the plan for the day. It took us a little less than four hours to get to the White Temple near Chiang Rai, but this included a short delay due to road construction and a stop at Mae Kha Jan (Mae Kachan) Hot Springs.

The Mastermind Behind The White Temple in Thailand

Before diving right into the experience of visiting the White Temple in Thailand, I thought I’d share a little background information that may be interesting to know. So, here is the story in a nutshell: The mastermind behind this elaborate work of art is Chiang Rai local artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, who is also the owner of the White Temple. He was eager to restore the original temple, which was starting to fall apart. Chalermchai designed and brought his vision to life by using his personal finances, and occasionally accepting only small donations. He knew his ideas would be considered a bit eccentric by some, and didn’t want to be influenced by big donors. Instead he chose to create his own art with his own money.

Our first glimpse of the White Temple near Chiang Rai

The White Temple first opened to the public in 1997 and quickly became a favorite tourist attraction. People from all over the world began swarming the area in order to see this extraordinary creation. It’s appearance seems almost out of a fairy tale, decorated with elaborate sculptures made of plaster and mirrored pieces of glass.

Earthquake

In 2014, the White Temple was damaged by an earthquake, but Chalermchai brought it back to its original beauty within a couple of years. Eventually, he proclaimed that this project would be his life’s work. Today, Chalermchai continues to add more details and embellishments to this already intricate masterpiece. The White Temple is not expected to be completed until the year 2070, which means that the artist most likely will not see his finished work.

Tip: Be sure to bring a dark pair of sunglasses when visiting the White Temple in Thailand. On a clear day, the sunlight reflects off of the mirrored glass pieces, making it difficult to look at without shades.

Tip: Always dress appropriately when visiting Buddhist temples. Be sure to cover your knees and shoulders, which means mini skirts, shorts, and tank tops are out. Certain temples may not allow solid black pieces of clothing either, like The Grand Palace in Bangkok. Also, at The Grand Palace, covering the shoulders with a sarong is not acceptable. Visitors must wear an actual shirt with sleeves.

First Impressions

Funky road cone in front of the White Temple

When we first got a glimpse of the White Temple, all we could do is just stand in one place and stare in disbelief. The ornate sparkling white exterior looked shockingly surreal, unlike anything we had ever seen. Ms. Kwan, our guide, broke the spell by gently reminding us that we could actually go inside, then led us towards the entrance.

Mystery Superhero

On the way there, we saw several bizarre road cones near the curb and a statue of a superhero sitting on a bench. It was a character I didn’t recognize. In all honesty, my knowledge of fictional superheroes is so pathetic, that this didn’t surprise me one bit. All I can tell you is, it wasn’t Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, or Superman. Hubby wasn’t sure who the superhero was either, so he just decided this must be a nonexistent character, created by the artist of the temple. Hmmm! I don’t know! Feel free to drop me a comment if you know who this is! 🙂

Here I am with the mystery superhero…Could it be the Thai Iron Man?

A large golden sculpture with small white Buddha statues near the entrance

Whisky Sculpture

Not far from the superhero, we discovered several more curious works of art. One was an ornate sculpture, which included a bottle of whisky along with several demon heads. I interpreted this to represent either the horrific effects of alcohol addiction, or alcohol being a dark and diabolical temptation that humans often can’t resist.

The Whisky Sculpture

Severed Heads and Monsters

The other bizarre compositions we encountered were several shrunken heads hanging from a tree and a horrific-looking monster jutting out of the ground. The heads displayed some odd features, while the monster looked like Predator from the famous sci-fi movie.

Severed heads hanging from a tree near the White Temple

Predator sculpture near the entrance

As to what all these creepy (but really kind of cool) artworks symbolize, here is what our guide, Ms. Kwan, explained: They are metaphors for humans’ obsessions with nonexistent superheroes, deadly substances, and wicked fantasies, all of which lead to our own demise.

Entering the Temple Grounds

An ornate temple bell at the entrance of the temple

When we finally made it to the entrance, we paid a small fee of 50 Thai baht per person (less than $2 US) required for foreign visitors and walked through the gates into the temple grounds.

Once inside, we made our way closer to the ubosot (main building), desperately trying to find a good spot for a photo. This wouldn’t have been such an ordeal if the place weren’t overflowing with excited tourists and selfie-takers. Despite this “teeny” setback, we somehow managed to get a few clear shots. Even with a mostly cloudy sky, the White Temple looked absolutely stunning as it sparkled in the daylight and gently reflected in the man-made lake right in front of it. Swimming in the water were Japanese Koi Fish, and curiously, all of them were white. We learned that this was an intentional choice made by the artist, as he wanted the purity of white to be a prominent theme throughout the temple grounds.

The mandatory family photo in front of the White Temple

The Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth

After taking in the stunning view for a while longer, we headed towards the bridge leading across a small pond and into the ubosot (the main building). Ms. Kwan informed us that we were about to walk over The Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth. She then pointed towards a circular area right at the start of the bridge where hundreds of plaster hands were reaching out of the ground. Among the hands, there were skulls, creepy faces and other entangled objects. Ms. Kwan explained that this area symbolizes Hell and humans’ unrestrained greed and desires; as we cross over the bridge and forego these worldly human traits, we move away from pain and suffering and get closer to eternal peace and happiness represented by the temple.

Walking closer to the temple and The Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth

Reaching hands in front of the White Temple

More twisted sculptures in front of the temple

Sculpture with an orb in front of the White Temple

In other words, the way to a genuinely fulfilling and admirable state of existence doesn’t go anywhere near the glitzy stores at the mall. If you want to reach Nirvana and leave the vicious cycle of death and rebirth behind, don’t succumb to all the materialistic and wicked temptations that exist in our world. Fair enough, definitely a good life lesson!

Here are Ms Kwan, our guide, and hubby

Strolling on the Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth

Dani dancing on the Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth at the White Temple

Family photo on the Bridge of the Cycle of Rebirth…We just had to!

Inside the White Temple

Once we crossed the bridge and entered the temple, we found ourselves in a completely different and unexpected world. The contrast between the sparkly white exterior and the fiery orange hues of the interior was stark. Since pictures were not allowed inside the ubosot, I can’t share what we saw through photography, but I will try to describe it with words. Let me just start by saying that what we discovered was as fascinating as it was shocking. The walls were covered in detailed paintings that had plenty of hidden and not-so-hidden meanings. While some may find the messages behind the artwork politically charged and offensive, I thought it was quite captivating.

The ornate entrance of the White Temple in Thailand

Snippets of the Modern World

Right above and around the entrance, there was a large painting of an evil entity depicting the Devil. Layered on top of this image were a variety of smaller paintings showing spaceships, rockets, characters, famous people, and events from our recent history. We found dancing Michael Jackson, Hello Kitty, Minions, Kung Fu Panda, Freddy Krueger from the movie Nightmare on Elm Street, Neo from The Matrix, Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Superman to name a few. One of the most memorable, however, was a painting of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. One of twin towers could be seen engulfed in flames and partially destroyed, while an airplane was flying towards the other. Twisted around the burning tower was a black snake-like creature with human heads at one end and a gasoline pump at the other.

The Eyes of the Devil

Just as we were looking at this incredibly detailed yet chilling work of art, Ms. Kwan, our guide, directed our attention to the eyes of the Devil above the entrance. She pointed out that in each eye there was a subtle silhouette of a man and asked us to guess who they were. We threw a few names like Hitler and Mussolini, but we didn’t get the correct answer. Ms. Kwan then revealed the mystery: Inside the left eye of the Devil was the image of Osama bin Laden and inside the right one, former US President George W. Bush.

Images of Buddha

Right above the painting of the Devil and on the opposite wall across from it, there were images of calm, smiling, meditating Buddha. The message here was pretty clear, I thought: Only if we can rise above all the greed, corruption, conflict, and wickedness of the human race, we would achieve a genuinely happy and peaceful existence, known in Buddhism as Nirvana. Ms. Kwan seemed in agreement and rather pleased with my interpretation.

Keep in mind, there is a lot more to see on these walls, but I will leave some mystery. My hope is by now you are so intrigued that you are already planning your own journey to The White Temple in Thailand!

Exploring the Rest of the Temple Grounds

After spending a good amount of time looking at the fascinating art inside the temple, we exited through the back of the ubosot. In the garden behind the main building, we discovered a couple more white structures that looked like pagodas. These, however, did not have the same ornate exterior as the temple. I imagine Chalermchai Kositpipat has plans to work on them in the upcoming years.

Tip: While at the White Temple in Thailand, be sure to take your time as you walk through the grounds. Visitors are allowed to move in one direction only and can’t go back unless they purchase another ticket.

View of pagodas behind the temple

About to walk through an ornate white arch with Buddha behind the temple

The ubosot of the White Temple from the back

Another photo of the White Temple because you can never have enough! 🙂

Looking at the pagodas and the temple from the back

Other Points of Interest

We continued our walk through the temple grounds and happily discovered that there was more to see. Just as we were starting to feel a bit overheated, we came to a shady rock fountain at the back of the garden, which was decorated with small statues, including some of Buddha, and temple bells. Not surprisingly, there were a whole bunch of kids ringing those bells and splashing in the water. Our daughters, Angie and Dani, also joined in the fun and quickly regained their withering energy.

Getting to the rock fountain

We are a family of lions

Walking along the rock fountain

The temple bells decorating the fountain

An odd sculpture near the fountain…Could this be the artist’s own representation of himself?

From the fountain, we walked to a massive bell hanging from an ornate golden structure, then followed the path to an impressive golden temple. Our guide, Ms. Kwan, told us this was a Hindu Temple. Unfortunately, we were not able to go inside, but enjoyed taking plenty of photos from the outside. Our next short stop was near the temple crematorium, which was a small white building, decorated in the style of the main temple. There was also a decorated white gazebo with a golden wishing well inside, and pagoda-shaped “trees” where visitors can hang medallions with their names written on. The medallions can be purchased from the temple store for a very small sum.

Huge temple bell hanging from a golden structure

Golden Hindu Temple near the White Temple

Closeup of the golden Hindu Temple

View of the crematorium

Entrance to the crematorium

The crematorium once again

Gazebo with a golden wishing well inside

Pagoda-shaped tree where you can hang a medallion with your name

The Golden Building

At this point, we slowly started circling back towards the exit, and just as we were thinking our tour was nearly over, there was one last surprise. We came to a large golden building that was located on the side of the main temple. Imagine our astonishment when we learned this was, out of all things, the public bathroom. It turned out the artist had another hidden message for us.

The golden bathroom

According to Ms. Kwan, the golden bathroom represents the body, which is the connection to our worldly existence. It reminds us that what’s on the outside doesn’t always match the inside, and the things that have true value in life are not necessarily polished and shiny. In contrast, the white color of the temple symbolizes the healthy mind, the purity of Buddha, and all the sparkling pieces of mirrored glass represent Buddha’s teachings.

Temple Store and Thai Lunch

After spending some time pondering all these hidden meanings, we did take a short bathroom break. Even though none of us had to go, it felt like the experience would be incomplete if we didn’t actually make use of these elaborate facilities.

Inside the golden bathroom at the White Temple

Our next stop was the temple store, where we found art prints of many of Chalermchai Kositpipat’s masterworks. We recognized some of them since they depicted elements from the walls inside the White Temple. There were some really curious art prints as well, which provided plenty more food for thought. For instance, we saw one that showed George W. Bush and Osama Bin Laden riding a missile together through space.

When we finally managed to leave this odd, yet fascinating place, it was time to get some lunch. Ms. Kwan recommended a place located across the street from the entrance to the temple. It turned out to be a wonderful little restaurant where all of us thoroughly enjoyed delicious Thai food, including one of my favorites, mango sticky rice.

Mango sticky rice, one of my favorites

Yes! The White Temple in Thailand is Worth It!

After lunch, we headed back to our van as it was time to continue with our sightseeing tour of Chiang Rai. Our next planned stop was none other than Wat Rong Suea Ten, also known as The Blue Temple, which was designed by a student of Chalermchai Kositpipat.

Before all of us climbed inside the van, however, we had to take a few seconds to look at the White Temple one last time. It appeared just as surreal as it did before, sparkling in the sun and reflecting in the water. This time, however, we saw it in a slightly different light. It was no longer just an elaborate piece of art, but also a place of wisdom that we actually understood…And if you are still wondering whether traveling to the White Temple in Thailand is worth it, I would respond with a resounding YES! Make the trip, you won’t regret it!

Here it is one last time!

Special Thanks

We would like to thank Travel Hub Chiang Mai for planning and organizing our trip from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. We had an absolutely amazing time and want to be sure to mention that while this was a sponsored activity, all opinions expressed in this article are our own. Please, refer to our Disclosure Policy for more information.

IMPORTANT

When traveling abroad, be sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months AFTER your planned stay. There are many countries that follow this rule very strictly. If you show up to the airport with a passport that expires in less than 6 months, you will NOT be allowed to board your plane! Click HERE to learn more and to see the list of countries that require 6 months of remaining passport validity.

Resources to Help Plan Your Trip to Chiang Rai

• Tourism Thailand – The official website of Tourism Authority of Thailand; find information about popular destinations, experiences, and Thai culture
• Thailand Travel – Lonely Planet’s detailed guide to Thailand, which includes various destinations, activities, experiences, and more
• Website for services and restaurants featured in this article – Travel Hub Chiang Mai || Chivit Thamma Da Coffee House, Bistro & Bar || Kunda Cafe

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, the photos in this post were taken by Vessy and Cameron with a Nikon D5600 camera and iPhone X. Please send us an e-mail at [email protected] if you would like to use any of them. All images are subject to copyright laws.

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