Sunday, December 14, 2008

281206 Wat Xieng Thong - red chapel

...now faded to pink:

PC280385

The hipped gable roof (bottom-most layer is a hipped, while upper layers are gabled) is similar to the roof design of Tai Lue temples. It houses a black reclining Buddha statue, & is located at the south corner of the sim, near the scripture library (an identical-looking but slightly smaller structure directly behind the sim). Side view of the red chapel:

PC280012

The front of the red chapel:

PC280396

Also depicted on the gable of Hor Prabang, the scene of Prince Siddartha cutting off his hair, with his charioteer Channa astride his horse Kanthaka, & a line of dancers & musicians below:

PC280396a

Reclining Buddhas, just like the statue housed within:

PC280396b
PC280397
PC280396d

Naga in a cave:

PC280396c

The other three sides of the red chapel are covered with mosaic:

PC280400

There is a black, horned buffalo-like creature that went around goring a whole bunch of creatures, including (top row, L-R) some leopard-like big cat, white elephants, & a blue snake:

mosaic2

It also locked horns with a blue counterpart (middle row, left), while people threshed harvested rice (centre), caught big fat rabbits & fish (bottom row, left & right), & an elephant-headed creature wandered through a forest (middle row, right).

In the days gone by, men also carried handbags on their shoulders (middle row, right), when not busy harvesting rice (bottom row, right) or fleeing from a house on fire (bottom row, middle):

mosaic1

Click here & here for other people's clearer photos of the mosaic.

No comments: