@dswigle. This would surly calm me down for a while; but I might have to make a call to my close friend whose brother is in the ICU (he was knocked out with a heart attack after the Moderna jab).It’s quite exasperating at times as I have insisted that my friend should tell her brother about the poisonous jabs and not to take any more booster. But she didn’t want to go through the lengthy discussion or to create any controversy; the result might mean the loss of her brother. At least I had helped several friends from getting badly affected by the injections; which meant I had to supply them the essential combos of medicine. Good karma comes with hard work, emotional travail and expenses. I just keep my fingers crossed but my psychic side has been telling me what to expect. C’est la vie. Life must go on while we are still living!
I meant to write about this strange looking temple by the river ages ago but it kept slipped away from my attention. I visited this temple out of boredom during the second lockdown in Bangkok. That’s the first time I visited this far off temple; I had to get there by a taxi or else I could get lost. The taxi driver was very kind and told me to take the walkway to cross to the other side in order to reduce the taxi fare! It’s about five minutes’ walk to the temple entrance.
Wat Pariwat was an old temple built during the end of Ayutthaya period. It was a small run down temple by the Chao Phraya River. During the reign of King Rama III, there was a big construction project on the opposite side of the river. Those responsible for the construction caught a glimpse of this poor temple so they decided to donate building materials to this small temple. They actually helped in building a new temple suitable for religious activities.
Being too close to the river, the changing current had invaded the temple ground causing weakening structures. The temple couldn’t stay straight and began sinking into soggy ground. In 2008, they could no longer postpone a new construction project; luckily the temple got a big budget for the construction. The temple Abbott decided to move the temple hall further away from the river bank. To the surprise of many Buddhists and monks, the Abbott chose a very avant-Garde design of the temple. He dared to be different and became the talk of the town with his taste in temple architectural design.
He was very concerned that young people didn’t like to go to temples any more. So, he thought of a scheme to attract youngsters and people to visit the temple. A contemporary decorations and mixture of art work and sculptures from various parts of the world would be gathered around the temple. This would create curiosity and make young people feel more at home. So, all famous and well known sculptures of Western cartoons, fairy tales, famous characters from the cinemas would adorn the wall of the temple instead of the traditional mosaic and typical Thai mural paintings. The project started some 14 years ago and the decorative work inside the two buildings have not been completed. This might be due to the difficulty in finding temple artists or builders who could make strange sculptures.
One of the builders was a football fan so he asked the Abbott whether he could make a model of David Beckham for the temple decoration. The Abbott let his imagination flow as he pleased. So, there’s a David Beckham sculptor inside one of the buildings. Some people called this temple ‘David Beckham Temple’! Someone made a list of what should be found around this temple which included Obama taking a selfie, Dobby from Harry Potter, Captain America, Winnie the Pooh, Doraemon, and Albert Einstein!
I was very surprised by the collections of Chinese, Hindu, and Buddhist deities perching on the roof and on the wall. The strange mythical beings from fairy tales around the world look quite stunning in details and colours. The Abbott really spared no expenses at these decorations! No wonder it took him many years to complete the decorations outside the two halls. One of the halls was still under renovation so I couldn’t have a look inside.
There were so much to see and my eyes just couldn’t believe all the painstaking details the artists had accomplished in bringing these sculptures into the real world. It was very difficult to focus on which photos to take as my eyes kept seeing new things at every turn. The Abbott was quite crazy to dare to do something completely revolutionary and untraditional. Luckily, most Buddhists took this with good humour and detachment. But no other Abbott dared to embark on such a unique approach. Most Thai people are still playing safe and too passive to be really creative!
I meant to revisit this temple so that I could do a checklist of all the strange characters hanging on and around the two halls. This temple is very calm and peaceful as it’s quite a long way from the town center. There’s a nice shady area by the river bank. I could bring my picnic snack and a glass of cool wine to enjoy the view by the river. The sunset should be quite colourful at that long curve of the river. Visitors could also feed the fish near the temple pier and take photos at the pier. The waves and dense columns of water in the silent river gave out very powerful vibes!
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.
