November 16 Bangkok Erawan museum, Muang Boran/ Ancient city

STAY: SLT Apt

A multi millionaire Thai businessman of Chinese descent, Lek-Praphai Viriyahb hun is the Founder of Muangboran The Ancient City, Erawan Museum, both in Bangkok and Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya

Muangboran The Ancient City is a huge Open Air Museum with replicas of 120 top cultural sights in Thailand and Erawan Museum is a shrine with amazing architecture.

we had visited and loved the sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya and were keen on visiting these 2 as well. If you buy individual tickets for Muangboran The Ancient City, Erawan Museum it is quite pricey but if you buy it on klook there is a 50% discount for a combo ticket. We bought it online for just 500 bahts instead of the 1200 bahts we have to pay at the counter.

The altar inside the elephant is closed by 4:00 p.m.. so we chose to visit Erawan 1st.

There is ample parking in the ground adjacent to the museum. Once you are parked a golf cart takes you to the museum. We have to go to the kiosk to convert our online ticket to a physical ticket.

Erawan has the meaning of water, clouds, and rainbow. It is the sacred name of a white elephant with 33 heads. The traditional tale has it that Erawan is the vehicle of Indra, a Hindu highest god.

The building including the elephant sculpture is 43.6 meters in heights (equivalent of 14 stories building). The width of the elephant is 12 meters and length 39 meters. The weight of the elephant's body is 150 tons, and the elephant's head weights 100 tons. The outer layer of the elephant is lined with copper, the copper sheet 1.2 millimeters thick in various sizes from 4x8 feet to the smallest size that is a size of the palm. Every single copper sheet totaling in a hundred thousands sheets were slowly plated on with care and craftsmanship.

The massive three headed elephant is made of bronze

The inside of the museum is modeled after the Hindu representation of the universe. The lower two floors are located inside the pedestal while the top floor is located in the belly of the elephant.

Guan Yin Goddess of Mercy

Pure silver relief work...

The Erawan Museum was beautiful. It has got some 10 numbered attractions all interspersed with many lovely landscaping and fountains and water bodies. There is a constant voice-over listing all the attractions both in Thai as well as in English.

We could have waited for the golf cart to drop us back but it is hardly some 150m to walk back to the parking lot. We had our packed lunch there and then drove on to the open air museum ancient Siam.

We were given a free parking stub for our car and were allowed to take our car inside. It is a huge area and there are many other conveyances available such as golf cart, electric bike or even a tram for which you have to pay separately. It was very convenient driving around with our own car and we had a great day.

Audio guide is free and there is plenty of info on their official site on what we see

Muang Boran/Ancient City

Phra Maha That, Chaiya, Surat Thani

one of the most sacred and important monasteries in the South of Thailand.

The structure of this stupa is similar to Chandi Pawana Indonesia, the mondop style chedi, which was modeled after Chandimendut Chedi of Java.

"Manohra" Garden

Manohra is one of the main characters of Suthon Jataka

The story appears in a collection of stories called Panasa Jataka and is a popular local fiction in Southern Thailand

It is the love story of "Manohra", a young kinaree (a half- human half-avian mythical creature), and a young human prince named Phra Suthon.

Kinaree was captured one day by a hunter named Phran Boon, while she was swimming in a swamp in the forest. The hunter then brought her to the young prince. Later on, a court viceroy who wanted to take revenge on Phra Suthon had Manohra sacrificed while the prince was out for a war. The plan had not succeeded, however, and kinaree escaped. No sooner had Phra Suthon learned of the account on his return that he gave chase and brought her back to the palace. They lived a happy life everafter

The sculpted tableaux of Phra Suthon, Manohra, Phran Boon, and the kinaree, who are sisters of Manohra, have been established at where Phatthalung Province appears on Muang Boran's city map. The sculpture draws its inspiration from the open-air displays of shamanistic dancing and seductive music called Nohra which is popular in the province.

The Great Hall of Vajradhamma

This principal vihara enshrines the 28 Buddhas of the past together with ten future Buddhas. Its surrounding precinct includes related sacred monuments such as the Twelve Zodiac Chedis, the birth-year chedis, and the Uppatasanti Chedi

Sanphet Prasat Throne Hall, Ayutthaya

This reconstruction of the Sanphet Prasat Throne Hall is based on archaeological evidence and historical research. The original building served as the principal audience hall and venue of major royal ceremonies in the Ayutthaya period, symbolizing royal authority and the former glory of the Ayutthaya Kingdom

The Phra Kaew Pavilion / Buddha hall in palace at Ayutthaya

combines Chinese and Ayutthaya-period Thai architectural forms. It represents a Buddha hall in the royal palace at Ayutthaya and has been reconstructed at Ancient City from depictions on carved wooden cabinet doors of the Ayutthaya period

The Pavilion of the Enlightened, Mahayana Buddhist teachings

embodies Mahayana Buddhist teachings on the plurality of paths to spiritual cultivation, illustrating how individuals of differing moral conduct and spiritual merit can all attain enlightenment and reach Nirvana

Dragon subduing Lohan... Arhat conquering his own internal demons

Royal barges procession

Mondop of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvar (Kuan-Yin)

In Mahayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara representing the spirit of compassion is the most revered being in India, China, Tibet, Japan and Korea.

After the T'ang Dynasty, this male Bodhisattva was transformed into a beautiful and gracious woman (Kuan-Yin)The Chinese call her Kuan-Yin.

The lady's face is sad and compassionate, concerned for all humanities. Her image is rendered as a graceful female figure, wearing a chain featuring the figure of a deer.

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara....the deity conquers the malevolent forces that threaten humanity by performing a miracle with frightens away evil spirits

Sumeru Mountain

is modeled on mural paintings at Wat Yai Intharam in Chonburi Province. The structure interprets the cosmology of the Buddhist treatise Trai Phum Phra Ruang in architectural form, reflecting pre-modern conceptions of the universe