Inside Wat Ban Rai (วัดบ้านไร่) - Elephant Temple (Part 2)

The entrance hall

Hello travelers,

After discovering the outside area in my first part of the travelogue about the extraordinary and wonderful temple, we will dedicate ourselves in this part to the no less impressive interior area of the temple.

once again about the geographical location of the temple:

It´s located in the province Korat, Dan Khun Thot district near the city Nakhon Ratchasima in the middle of Thailand. About 250km from Bangkok.

The elephant temple is an imposing newer structure, many students and tour groups arrive here every day. Admission is free, but you have to join a guided tour, there may be waiting times depending on the day and the number of people. In the meantime you can also visit the small museum, in which the story of the monk Luang Phor Koon is presented. The temple is surrounded by a landscaped lake and is reached via a bridge. In front of the entrance of the whole temple area, which is cordoned off and guarded, there is the large parking lot with plenty of souvenir and refreshment stands as well as snacks.

The inside of the temple is built like a snail shell, you walk on the inside in a tour decorated with hundreds of Buddhist works of art up to the viewing platform.

 On the first floor are six huge paintings that depict the Buddha’s life from birth to enlightenment. From there a carpeted, wheel-chair assessable, ramp winds upward four stories. You will see hundreds of mixed media artworks depicting the history of a teaching of Buddhism. Upon reaching the top you are greeted with an open-air patio that gives extraordinary views of the countryside and Wat Ban Rai. You will share the view with two bronze statues, a seven-meter-high Buddha and a five-meter tall sculpture of Luang Pho Koon also looking of the scene.

That was only a selection of these Buddhist works of art and we have now arrived at the viewing platform of the temple. I hope you enjoyed the tour inside the Wat Ban Rai temple. Thanks for #walkingwithme

Tom 🤙