December 14, 2008

281206 Wat Xieng Thong - red chapel

...now faded to pink:

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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:

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The front of the red chapel:

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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:

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Reclining Buddhas, just like the statue housed within:

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Naga in a cave:

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

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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:

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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):

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

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