The Abandoned Country Temple
In urban exploration, the death of the dreams of some can provide a dream-like reality for others.
drone video: https://youtu.be/Xd7fXwaA1Hs
Located deep in the countryside of Pranburi province, this temple was constructed around the early 2010's and never saw an opening day.
It's a sprawling complex located on a former mango & other-fruit farm, with a few remaining mango trees scattered around the property. The highlights are a cavernous reclining Buddha, complete with man-made caves that are so convincing that they now host a large number of bats (and the resulting piles of guano). The stalactites & stalagmites are made of a simple metal framework and plaster, but are fairly convincing for such a simple construction technique. The large Buddha figure in this main area is accompanied by a skeleton model of the type usually seen in high school Biology classrooms, albeit this one is adorned with a cowboy hat. I named him The Bone Ranger.
In addition to the reclining Buddha building, an enormous, meditating figure of a well-known monk hosts another cave-like room with a smaller Buddha figure and left-behind building materials. The more 'temple-like' temple rests at the bottom of the hill with further Buddha statue as well as piles of boxes containing the usual amulets and temple trinkets sold at many of the more famous temples. These lay strewn about the floor, never having been offered as another form of merit-making and luck-gathering.
Also, there are 6-7 smaller cave-like bungalows which seem to have been planned as lodging for temple guests. They are very dark & dank, and as a result host as many bats as the bigger buildings.
There are also a number of stand-alone Buddha & famous-monk statues placed about the premises, with my favorite being the 'see-no-evil' Buddha with hands covering his eyes. It's almost as if he can't bare to look at the decaying sight around him, even though the backdrop is lovely. However, I'm told that it symbolizes a blocking out of the outside world during intense Sammabart meditation. This is jhana level meditation which can also cross-over into Abhinna.
I don't know the exact history at the moment, but it appears that funding ran out at some point in mid to late construction. It may be that the proprietors had enough for 75% of construction and expected enough donations to finish the project, but who knows? I do know that, at points, construction looks to have picked back up, with signs of fairly recent work in some areas.
Despite the lush, natural setting and the ambitious and unique theme that was strategized, it would seem that the temple is simply too far off the beaten path, found deep in the countryside along narrow, winding roads, making it much less accessible than most sights in the region. Although an ambitious project, this one may have not had a great chance to succeed from the beginning. Still, what remains of the endeavor is a stunning & unique, although pungent-smelling, site to explore and spend a few hours.
Read Moredrone video: https://youtu.be/Xd7fXwaA1Hs
Located deep in the countryside of Pranburi province, this temple was constructed around the early 2010's and never saw an opening day.
It's a sprawling complex located on a former mango & other-fruit farm, with a few remaining mango trees scattered around the property. The highlights are a cavernous reclining Buddha, complete with man-made caves that are so convincing that they now host a large number of bats (and the resulting piles of guano). The stalactites & stalagmites are made of a simple metal framework and plaster, but are fairly convincing for such a simple construction technique. The large Buddha figure in this main area is accompanied by a skeleton model of the type usually seen in high school Biology classrooms, albeit this one is adorned with a cowboy hat. I named him The Bone Ranger.
In addition to the reclining Buddha building, an enormous, meditating figure of a well-known monk hosts another cave-like room with a smaller Buddha figure and left-behind building materials. The more 'temple-like' temple rests at the bottom of the hill with further Buddha statue as well as piles of boxes containing the usual amulets and temple trinkets sold at many of the more famous temples. These lay strewn about the floor, never having been offered as another form of merit-making and luck-gathering.
Also, there are 6-7 smaller cave-like bungalows which seem to have been planned as lodging for temple guests. They are very dark & dank, and as a result host as many bats as the bigger buildings.
There are also a number of stand-alone Buddha & famous-monk statues placed about the premises, with my favorite being the 'see-no-evil' Buddha with hands covering his eyes. It's almost as if he can't bare to look at the decaying sight around him, even though the backdrop is lovely. However, I'm told that it symbolizes a blocking out of the outside world during intense Sammabart meditation. This is jhana level meditation which can also cross-over into Abhinna.
I don't know the exact history at the moment, but it appears that funding ran out at some point in mid to late construction. It may be that the proprietors had enough for 75% of construction and expected enough donations to finish the project, but who knows? I do know that, at points, construction looks to have picked back up, with signs of fairly recent work in some areas.
Despite the lush, natural setting and the ambitious and unique theme that was strategized, it would seem that the temple is simply too far off the beaten path, found deep in the countryside along narrow, winding roads, making it much less accessible than most sights in the region. Although an ambitious project, this one may have not had a great chance to succeed from the beginning. Still, what remains of the endeavor is a stunning & unique, although pungent-smelling, site to explore and spend a few hours.
