.Sala Keoku is a park featuring giant fantastic concretesculptures inspired by Buddhism andHinduism. It is located near Nong Khai,Thailand in immediate proximity of the Thai-Lao border and the Mekong river. The park has been built by and reflects the personal vision of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat and his followers (the construction started in 1978). It shares the style of Sulilat's earlier creation,Buddha Park on the Lao side of Mekong, but is marked by even more extravagant fantasy and greater proportions.
Some of the Sala Keoku sculptures tower up to 25m in the sky.
Those include a monumental depiction of Buddha meditating under the
protection of a seven-headed Nagasnake. While the subject (based on
a Buddhist legend) is one of the recurrent themes in thereligious art of
the region, Sulilat's approach is highly unusual, with its naturalistic
(even though stylized) representation of the snakes, whose giant protruding
tongues beautifully complement the awe-inspiring composition. The Sala Keoku
pavilion is a large three-storyconcrete building, whose domes bear a
surprising resemblance to a mosque. It was constructed following Sulilat's
plans after his death. The 3rd floor hosts a large number ofSulilat-related
artifacts, as well as his mummified body.
Perhaps the most enigmatic part of the park is the Wheel of
Life, a circular multi-part group of sculptures representing
the karmic cycle of birth and death through a progression
oftarot-like characters. The composition culminates with a young man taking a
step across the fence surrounding the entire installation to become
a Buddha statue on the other side.
Credit: www.wikipedia.com
