Tempel tour 2.0

08/11/2018 Continuing my temple tour in glorious sunshine. Today I'm heading to Wat Phra Singh, the most important temple in the western part of the old city, built in 1345 by King Phayu as a burial site for his father. Viharn Luang is the first temple in the immaculately maintained complex. Obviously, it's All-you-can-Buddha day today, so there's plenty to see here. And while the Buddhas in the outdoor area are pretty to look at,

I'm not impressed by the interior with its row of tin-gold Buddhas that look terribly tacky. The most beautiful thing about this temple is actually the view outside, of the lush greenery of the palms. The monks on the right side, deep in prayer, look so lifelike that I only notice on second glance that they are replicas. Creepy. They are revered as holy beings, worshipped and showered with offerings. Ew!

What absolutely fascinates me, however, are the magnificent gables and decorations. The golden painting on the underside of the roof overhang looks like the prints on the Thai fabrics that I immediately fell in love with. I have the strong urge to buy a meter or two of them.

In the back part of the complex, there are temples with lavish and incredibly delicate inlaid work and stencil-style gold paintings that blow me away. I can't get enough of this splendor.