The whiteness of the temple represents the purity of Buddha while the mirror mosiac pieces represent the wisdom of Buddah shining out across the Earth and Universe.
As you enter the temple you walk along a river of desperate hands reaching for the heavens, this is here to represent hell. At the stairs you see two sculptures weilding swords that are there to stop hell coming through, as the inside of the temple is meant to be a heavenly area.
The architecture and art in this temple is truely breathtaking. I love that the artist incorporated a modern art twist through this temple, while still carrying deep religious symbolism. It represents escaping greed and desire and moving towards nirvana through Buddhas teachings. It is done in such a beautiful, interesting way that even the most un religious person could be moved by it.
I wasn't able to take any photos inside the main temple room, but I was blown away by the beauty of the large mural of Buddah on the main wall and the golden statue of him. I was also in awe of the pairings on the other walls all very unconventional to what you would usually see in that room. The paintings depicted modern heroes so to reach out to the younger generations to learn the ways of Buddah.
A must visit temple in Chiang Rai, a 2 hour drive from Chiang Mai.
-Nikki