White Temple

About

Wat Rong Khun was designed by visual artist and painter Chalermchai Kositpipat, and is unique in both color and execution. The entire building is stark white to signify Buddha’s purity, while the pieces of glass that adorn it symbolize Buddha’s wisdom and teachings. The entire temple is rife with symbolism and mythology, from the statues of countless reaching hands that symbolise unrestrained desire, to the "gate of heaven", guarded Death and Rahu. Intermixed with the Thai architecture and Buddhist imagery are pop-icons like Hello Kitty and Harry Potter. Kositpipat is still working on the temple complex, and is planning to construct a hall to enshrine Buddhist relics, a meditation hall, monks living quarters, and an art gallery without the assistance of major donors.