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:
Stunning pictures - if a little scary!
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.
Wow - I can imagine this place would look very eerie at night!
They look great - if a little startling. Not sure I'd want to be there at night!
That looks like a fabulous place, though yes, a bit creepy too.
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.
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!
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.
Fascinating post - and terrific photographs. Thank you for sharing.
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.
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.
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