Monday, April 25, 2011

Buddha Park, Vientiane, Laos


Buddha Park is a sculpture park built on the banks of the Mekong River about half an hour’s drive from our hotel in Vientiane, Laos. The park was built in 1958 by Luang Pu (Venerable Granfather) Bunleua Sulilat who was a yogi-priest-shaman. The sculptures are not new; they were built of concrete in the ‘50s and combine Buddhist and Hindu icons, philosophy and mythology. We had a fantastic, if hot, two hours wandering around here.




11 comments:

Karen said...

Stunning pictures - if a little scary!

Jenny Beattie said...

Thanks Karen. Yes, some are quite sinister, aren't they? In the pumpkin shaped building were 'scapes of Heaven, Earth and Hell. Needless to say, Hell was the most not so nice images.

Jayne said...

Wow - I can imagine this place would look very eerie at night!

HelenMWalters said...

They look great - if a little startling. Not sure I'd want to be there at night!

Cathy said...

That looks like a fabulous place, though yes, a bit creepy too.

Jenny Beattie said...

Jayne, Helen, and Cathy, in the bright light of midday it never occurred to me how eerie it would be in the dark. Still, in spite of the sunshine we were still given the creeps by some of the sculptures.

StickyRice said...

He also built one across the Mekong in Thailand, just outside Nong Khai. My kids think it's great that an adult could come up with those crazy ideas!

Jenny Beattie said...

I saw that in my guide book. Is it exactly the same? Our son (17) wasn't interested in coming with us to Buddha Park. Oh well; can't force them to enjoy these things.

Suzanne Ross Jones said...

Fascinating post - and terrific photographs. Thank you for sharing.

Sue Guiney said...

Very cool. After going to Luang Prabang, we've been wondering if Vientiane was as beautiful, or if it's just another big city. But this looks very cool.

Jenny Beattie said...

Suzanne, thank you.

Sue, No Vientiane is nowhere near as pretty. It was nteresting to see the new-ish capital but I won't bother going back.