| Buddha Park | |
|---|---|
| Xieng Khuan | |
 Buddha Park | |
  Buddha Park | |
| Type | sculpture park |
| Coordinates | 17°54′44″N102°45′55″E / 17.91229°N 102.765397°E /17.91229; 102.765397 |
Buddha Park, also known asXieng Khuan (as well as other variations of the spelling), is asculpture park 25 km southeast fromVientiane, Laos, in a meadow by theMekong River.[1][2] Although it is not a temple (wat), it may be referred to asWat Xieng Khuan (Lao: ວັດຊຽງຄວນ;Thai:วัดเซียงควน), since it contains numerous religious images.[3] The nameXieng Khuan means "spirit city".[2] The park contains over 200Hindu andBuddhist statues.[4] Thesocialist government operates Buddha Park as a tourist attraction and public park.[3]
The park was started in 1958 byLuang Pu Bunleua Sulilat,[2] apriest-shaman who integratedHinduism and Buddhism.[2] His perspective was influenced by a Hindurishi under whom he studied in Vietnam.[5] After therevolution in 1975, anxious about the repercussions of the rule of thePathet Lao, he fled from Laos to Thailand, where he built anothersculpture park,Sala Keoku, in Nong Khai.[1][5] Both parks are located right next to the Thai-Lao border, by theMekong river, only a few kilometres apart from each other, and the tallest structures of Buddha Park can be seen from the Thai side of the Mekong.[citation needed]
The statues are made ofreinforced concrete and are ornate in design.[5] They appear to be centuries old, though they are not. There are sculptures of humans, gods, animals, and demons.[4] There are numerous sculptures ofBuddha, characters of Buddhist beliefs likeAvalokiteśvara, and characters fromHindu lore, includingShiva,Vishnu, andArjuna.[2] The sculptures were presumably[speculation?] cast by unskilled workers under the supervision of Sulilat.[2] One notable sculpture resembles a giant pumpkin.[1] It has three stories, representing three levels of existence:hell,Earth, andheaven.[1] Visitors can enter through an opening, which is the mouth of a 3-metre-tall demon head (9.8 ft), and climb several staircases from hell to heaven;[4] each story contains sculptures depicting the respective level. At the top, there is a vantage point, from which the entire park is visible.[4] Another sculpture, an enormous 40-metre-long (130 ft)reclining Buddha, forms the centerpiece attraction of the park.[6]
