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26-568: Bunleua Sulilat was born in 1932 as the seventh of eight children to a family in Nong Khai province, Thailand . According to a legend, as a young man, he fell into a cave and thus met hermit Keoku, his spiritual mentor, after whom Sala Keoku (The Hall of Keoku) is named. Upon graduating from his apprenticeship with Keoku, Sulilat took on monumental sculpting, and proceeded with the construction (in 1958) of his first concrete sculpture garden, Buddha Park near Vientiane , Laos . Concerned about

52-478: A boddhisattva , especially in the various traditions of Mahayana Buddhism . Other Buddhas and bodhisattvas in art have become increasingly common over the centuries, perhaps now outnumbering images of the historical Buddha. In its first centuries Buddhism was largely or entirely aniconic , not showing the person of Buddha except by symbols and relics. This changed, and figures of the Buddha became very common in

78-629: A tropical savanna climate (Köppen: Aw). 17°52′5″N 102°44′40″E  /  17.86806°N 102.74444°E  / 17.86806; 102.74444 Buddharupa Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha , which are known as Buddharūpa ( lit.   ' Form of the Awakened One ' ) in Sanskrit and Pali . These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in an image may be someone else who has obtained Buddhahood , or

104-414: A circular pattern, it reveals the human progression from birth to death, which returns to its own origin. The composition culminates as a young man takes a step across the fence enclosing the entire installation to become a Buddha statue on the other side. Due to the lack of standard romanization scheme for Thai and Lao , there is a profusion of different spellings for Bunleua Sulilat's name, as well as

130-638: A museum and cultural center) memorialises the dead of the Haw wars . Nong Khai has become a popular destination during the Buddhist Lent festival when mysterious balls of light, or Naga fireballs , rise from the Mekong River. The balls resemble an orange sun. They rise out of the river approximately 6–9 meters (20 to 30 feet) and disappear after three to five seconds. Although the fireballs can be seen at other times, most Thais travel to see them during

156-489: A religious sect headquarters. The title Luang Pu (usually reserved for monks) came to be applied to Sulilat, who was technically a secular man. Both of the parks were constructed from donated concrete by hundreds of unskilled enthusiasts working without payment. Some other residents of the area considered Sulilat to be insane. In his later years, Sulilat suffered a fall from one of his giant sculptures. Subsequently, his health deteriorated (the precise relation of his illness to

182-606: A similar park in Vientiane in the 1950s. Synthesizing Buddhist and Hinduist ideologies, Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, a seven-headed Naga snake, and various human-animal hybrids dominate the site. Notable figures from twentieth century Buddhist history have lived in Nong Khai -- the world renowned Buddhist scholar and leading meditation teacher Ajahn Sumedho was ordained in Wat Sisaket in Nong Khai. The area has

208-417: A well-proportioned figure, but sometimes he is shown emaciated, in recollection of the Buddha's years of ascetic practices. Many people may be familiar with the "Happy" or "Laughing" Buddha, a different historical figure, who should not be confused with the images of Gautama Buddha. Budai , a Chinese Buddhist monk also known as Hotei , is depicted as fat and happy, almost always shown smiling or laughing, and

234-589: Is a city in northeast Thailand . It is the capital of Nong Khai province . Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district . Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near the site of the first Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge , spanning the river to Laos . The Thai-Lao Friendship bridge was largely funded by a gift to the Lao government from the Australian government. It is the road and railway gateway to

260-543: Is also known as Wat Xiengkhouane, Wat Xieng Khouan, Wat Xiengkhuan, Wat Xieng Khuan or Vat Xiengkhuane. Sala Keoku has also been referred to as Sala Keo Ku, Sala Keo Koo, Sala Keo Kou, Sala Kaew Ku, Sala Kaew Koo, Salakaewkoo, Sala Gaew Goo, Sala Kaeoku or Sala Kaeo Ku. It is also known as Wat Khaek, not to be confused with Wat Khaek , a Hindu temple in Bangkok . Nong Khai Nong Khai ( Thai : เทศบาลเมืองหนองคาย , RTGS :  Thetsaban Mueang Nong Khai )

286-404: Is associated with Maitreya , the future Buddha. A statue or a painting of Buddha always illustrates a mudra or gesture. There are large numbers of these, but a few are the oldest and most common. In Mahayana Buddhism , some of the most common have also become identified with the five transcendental Buddhas, also called " Dhyani Buddhas " or "Pancha Buddhas", further complicating identification of

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312-457: Is maintained in those projects. Wat Rong Khun is another example of a contemporary unconventional Thai Buddhist art site. The didactic nature of Sulilat's vision found its most detailed expression in depictions of the karmic Wheel of Life present in both of his gardens. The version in Sala Keoku is the more elaborate of the two. Mixing traditional and contemporary figures arranged in

338-531: The Eight Great Events or other sets, but may be much larger. Originally common in reliefs , and probably paintings of which few have survived, they have more recently mostly been in painted form. Narrative scenes may show the Buddha in various poses, though they tend to show the Buddha in the same standing, seated or lying positions, with other figures or a mudra indicating what moment is being depicted. Despite cultural and regional differences in

364-430: The art of Gandhara and Gupta art . As forms of esoteric Buddhism developed, other figures from the expanding array of Buddhist sacred persons became more prominent. In Theravada Buddhism this was much less the case, and figures of the historical Buddha remain the most common main images in temples and shrines to the present. Early images were most often of Buddha standing, but seated meditating postures, essentially

390-476: The lotus position of yoga , came to predominate. Often these represent a specific moment in the Buddha's life, which is identified by the Buddha's hand gesture ( mudra ), or attributes shown. There are also statues of the Reclining Buddha , lying down, usually showing the moment of his death. Sets of narrative scenes from the life of the Buddha tend to concentrate on standard groupings such as

416-411: The Lao capital, Vientiane , 25 kilometres (16 mi) upriver, on the north bank opposite Thailand's Si Chiang Mai district . Construction of a rail spur to Thanaleng outside Vientiane was begun early-2007 and opened 5 March 2009. Nong Khai is 626 km (389 mi) north of Bangkok by road and 60 km (37 mi) north of Udon Thani . The Prap Ho Monument before the old city hall (now

442-601: The fall is unclear; he appears to have suffered from some blood disease), and he died in 1996. His mummified body has been enshrined at the 3rd floor of the Sala Keoku pavilion building. Sulilat's sculpture gardens rely upon the rich religious art tradition of the region . What sets them apart is the uncommonly large physical dimensions (made possible through the use of modern construction materials), highly individualized (and even quirky) artistic fantasy, and sporadic contemporary references (motorized vehicles, firearms, Western garments). Having been erected by unskilled workforce,

468-477: The figure shown. These mudras are as follows: Images of Buddha showing him reclining, represent his Parinirvana or departure into final nirvana at death. Other times he is holding various symbolic objects, or making symbolic mudras (gestures). The clothing also varies with national styles. In East Asia it tends to follow local monastic dress, with the arms covered. In India early depictions, especially from hotter regions, such as art of Mathura , Buddha

494-619: The first century CE in North India , developed in Gandhara and Mathura . The art of Gandhara was influenced by Ancient Greek art , leading to the development of Greco-Buddhist art with anatomically well-proportioned and realistic figure of the Buddha. One of the most influential Buddhist art was Gupta art and the later Amaravati style. From India the depiction of Buddha spread to the rest of Asia. The Buddharupas of India, Sri Lanka, Javanese Sailendra and Cambodian art usually depict

520-465: The full moon in October when the incidence of them is considered to be much higher. Nong Khai's main sight is Sala Keoku (alternatively spelled as Sala Kaew Ku , also known as Wat Khaek ), a park of colossal sculptures, some over 20 m tall. The park is the handiwork of the mystic Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat , who bought the land in 1978 when he was exiled from his native Laos, where he had built

546-402: The gardens present fine specimens of art naïf and art brut , and they certainly do possess the characteristic childish spontaneity and sense of wonder. (Sulilat claimed not to have had any artistic experience prior to the construction of Buddha Park .) Yet, once again, the monumental scale of the projects and the long-term, communal, organized nature of construction are quite remarkable for

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572-519: The interior. Some parallels may be found between Sulilat's parks and the large-scale culture projects by Lek Viriyaphant , in particular, the fantastic woodcarving compositions of the Sanctuary of Truth . However, the latter have been designed and implemented on another financial scale with a large input of professional labor. So, compared to Sulilat's heritage, a very different balance between skilled finesse and immediate individual artistic expression

598-433: The interpretations of texts about the life of Gautama Buddha, there are some general guidelines to the attributes of a Buddharupa: The elongated earlobes are vestiges of his life as a prince, when he wore extravagant jewelry. The bump at the top of the head is the ushnisha and represents spirituality, wisdom, and awakening. Depictions of the Buddha vary widely across cultures. The image of Buddhas started to emerge from

624-456: The names of his parks, to the extent that it makes all of them virtually impossible to account for. His first name has been spelled as Bunleua, Bounleua, Bun Leua, Boun Leua, Boon Leua, Bounlua, Bounlour, Boonlour or Bunluea. His last name has been spelled as Sulilat, Surirat, Soulilat, Sourirat, Sureerat or Su Ree Rat. The title Luang Pu, the reverend monk, has also been spelled as Luang Puu, Luang Pa, Louang Pou or Loungpou. The Buddha Park

650-485: The political climate in Laos after the 1975 communist revolution , Sulilat crossed Mekong fleeing to Thailand . In 1978, he commenced the construction of a new sculpture garden, Sala Keoku , located across the river from the old one. Sulilat's eccentric and captivating personality and the blend of Buddhism and Hinduism he professed proved to hold great appeal to some of the locals, and Sala Keoku became something of

676-458: The realm of outsider art . Reportedly, concrete has been chosen by Sulilat as the cheapest and most accessible material for his artwork. A large number of cement factories exist on the Lao side of Mekong. The statues have been designed by Sulilat himself, and subsequently built using (mostly) unpainted concrete reinforced with metal. Larger installations rely upon brick support structures in

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