Chiang Rai Blue Temple – Wat Rong Suea Ten
The Blue Temple is immediately recognizable for its brilliant shade of rich sapphire. The temple walls, roof, and surrounding statues are all covered in this gorgeous hue, an unusual decorative choice in a country where most temples are made of gold. This color is symbolically associated with purity, wisdom, and the lack of materialism that Buddhists aspire to.
The temple is a fascinating fusion of traditional Buddhist values and classic Thai architecture with extremely contemporary design choices. This modernism makes sense — the Blue Temple was designed by Putha Kabkaew, a student of the artist who built the eccentric White Temple.
Wat Rong Suea Ten, better known as the Blue Temple, is a Buddhist temple that stands out from the others because of its sapphire blue color. It is not an active temple, no monks live here.
House of the Dancing Tiger
Wat Rong Suea Ten translates to “House of the dancing tiger”. The temple was named after the tigers that once roamed the area.
History of the Blue TempleAt the start of the 21st century, Wat Rong Suea Ten had fallen into a very bad state of repair.
It was decided to completely rebuild the temple. The works were completed in 2016. The Blue Temple is known in Thai as “Wat Rong Suea Ten”, or “Temple of the Dancing Tiger”. Another ancient temple once stood here, and tigers are said to have roamed freely over the grounds when it was abandoned nearly a century ago.
The Blue Temple as it exists today is brand new by comparison. The local village decided to rebuild the temple in 1996 and began the project in 2005. Construction was officially completed in 2016, but The Blue Temple is still considered a work in progress.
Chiang Rai Blue Temple or Wat Rong Seua Ten is located in Rong Suea Ten in the district of Rimkok a few kilometers outside Chiang Rai. It is a recent temple that is still under construction even if its main hall is now completed. It is above all its magnificent blue interior with a large white Buddha that marks the spirits.
The paintings are reminiscent of the style of what you can see inside the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun). The great standing Buddha, also white, standing in front of the back, is also superb.
Suea Ten literally means the dancing tiger. Here, there were tigers who used to jump over the river. This is how the name of Rong Seua Ten village was found.
This is a unique temple, everything is blue it’s not as impressive as the white temple but it’s worth a short visit (15-20mins max). It’s free to visit, there are a few shops/cafes in the area, and there are currently improvements being made which I’m sure will make it a more popular destination.
Together with its calming cerulean color, the Blue Temple is adorned with gleaming gold trim and surrounded by blue and gold statues of magical Buddhist beings and mythological characters.
The stairs to the main entrance are guarded by naga serpents, whose tails ripple with detailed scales and twist and whirl around in entrancing elegance.
The temple windows are protected by an angelic figure, posing proudly on a pedestal with feathered wings spread wide, a staff grasped behind its back. Brightly colored Yakshas, or female nature spirits, wait nearby to keep the temple safe from evil.
No comments:
Post a Comment