The Buddhist Gaudi?


Outside Vientiane there is a sculpture park. I learnt about it from Wikipedia, and put it on my list of things to do while I am here in Vientiane. The reception desk at my hotel advised me to catch a local bus from the bus station just around the corner. This took me as far as the Friendship Bridge - the border with Thailand. A very local bus took me on from there. Two buses to the park; admission to the park; a can of drink at the entry; a meal and drink once I had finished going round the park; and two buses back - all this and I spent less than £3.50. It is very difficult to spend large amounts of money here. 


 The park is quite extraordinary. To describe it I can do no better than quote from the article I found.



"The park was started in 1958 by Luang Pu (Venerable Grandfather) Bunleua Sulilat. Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat was a priest-shaman who integrated Hinduism and Buddhism. His unique perspective was influenced by a Hindu rishi under whom he studied in Vietnam. 
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The statues are made of reinforced concrete and are ornate, and sometimes bizarre, in design. The statues appear to be centuries old, though they are not. There are sculptures of humans, gods, animals, and demons. There are numerous sculptures of Buddha, characters of Buddhist beliefs like Avalokiteshvara, and characters of Hindu lore, including Shiva, Vishnu, and Arjuna. These sculptures were presumably cast by unskilled workers under the supervision of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat. One notable sculpture resembles a giant pumpkin. It has three stories representing three levels - Hell, Earth and Heaven. Visitors can enter through an opening which is a mouth of a 3-metre-tall demon head (9.8 ft) and climb staircases from hell to heaven. Each story contains sculptures depicting the level. At the top, there is a vantage point where the entire park is visible. Another sculpture, an enormous 120-metre-long (390 ft) reclining Buddha, is also a park attraction."



So if you have ever wondered what it is like to be in a giant magic pumpkin, then this is the place for you.