I ventured to Wat Wang Saen Suk, near Bangsaen Beach, the other day to satisfy my curiosity about this "temple of hell". The peaceful scene above is one of several lining the walkway from the temple entrance to the gates of hell. Enjoy it now because things get gruesome on the other side.
These giant starving creatures demand initial attention, but the dozens of scenes that follow are more grotesque, all depicting what is supposed to be a Buddhist hell.
Torture shows itself in many different ways here. And then some statues are just plain weird. I wonder what the children who visit think of it all - especially when viewing the scene of what happens if you don't obey your parents. I wanted to steer one boy away from a particularly disturbing scene of a woman being mutilated, but instead took a picture of it that I can't bring myself to post here.
Statues like these form a huge circle and signs at the foot of each warn of the sin that if committed would lead to an afterlife in the respective form.
Gambling is quite popular in Thailand, which makes me wonder if that's why this was the only statue to have little Buddhas at the foot. Visitors hoping for extra protection, perhaps? (I think gambling is especially popular in Bangsaen, which has a significant mafia presence. I saw a guy with half his ear chopped off and was told the missing piece was probably payback for an unpaid gambling debt.)
I paid to free the two birds above, which means I encouraged the practice so they will only be captured again so some other dope can free them.
And a message to leave you with....
I ventured to Wat Wang Saen Suk, near Bangsaen Beach, the other day to satisfy my curiosity about this "temple of hell". The peaceful scene above is one of several lining the walkway from the temple entrance to the gates of hell. Enjoy it now because things get gruesome on the other side.
These giant starving creatures demand initial attention, but the dozens of scenes that follow are more grotesque, all depicting what is supposed to be a Buddhist hell.
Torture shows itself in many different ways here. And then some statues are just plain weird. I wonder what the children who visit think of it all - especially when viewing the scene of what happens if you don't obey your parents. I wanted to steer one boy away from a particularly disturbing scene of a woman being mutilated, but instead took a picture of it that I can't bring myself to post here.
Statues like these form a huge circle and signs at the foot of each warn of the sin that if committed would lead to an afterlife in the respective form.
Gambling is quite popular in Thailand, which makes me wonder if that's why this was the only statue to have little Buddhas at the foot. Visitors hoping for extra protection, perhaps? (I think gambling is especially popular in Bangsaen, which has a significant mafia presence. I saw a guy with half his ear chopped off and was told the missing piece was probably payback for an unpaid gambling debt.)
I paid to free the two birds above, which means I encouraged the practice so they will only be captured again so some other dope can free them.
And a message to leave you with....
