Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

This place which looks like an open museum of religious statues was created with an inspiration of Luangpu Bunluea Surirat who built it around 1978, out of his own belief that the teachings of all regions could be mixed together.

Nong Khai is a sleepy Thai town with strong Lao influences, and is home to small Chinese and Vietnamese communities as well. Most locals speak both Thai and the local dialect called Isaan, which is closely related to both the Thai and Lao languages. Many locals speak a little bit of English, mostly tourism-related words, and are generally very friendly and helpful if you smile and are polite.

Sala Kaew Ku Sculpture Park in Nong Khai, Playground of the Gods. This sculpture garden contains innumerous majestic images depicting Lao national's interpretation of Shiva, Vishnu, Buddha and other Hindu and Buddhist folklore sculptures and Thai culture. There are many sculptures with strings tied to their wrists, representing a North-eastern tradition whos practice was carried out to bind people together.

Some of the Sala Keoku sculptures tower up to 25m in the sky. Those include a monumental depiction of Buddha meditating under the protection of a seven-headed Naga snake. While the subject (based on a Buddhist legend) is one of the recurrent themes in the religious art of the region.

This utterly bizarre park of massive sculptures is the handiwork of the mystic Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, who bought the land in 1978 when he was kicked out of his native Laos, a similar park of his earlier work remains near Vientiane. Sulilat's approach is highly unusual, with its naturalistic (even though stylized) representation of the snakes, whose giant protruding tongues beautifully complement the awe-inspiring composition. Synthesizing Buddhism and Hindu ideologies, Buddhas, many-armed goddesses, naga snakes and all sorts of human-animal hybrids dominate the scenery.

The Sala Keoku pavilion is a large three-story concrete building, whose domes bear a surprising resemblance to a mosque. It was constructed following Sulilat's plans after his death. The 3rd floor hosts a large number of Sulilat-related artefacts, as well as his mummified body. Perhaps the most enigmatic part of the park is the Wheel of Life, a circular multi-part group of sculptures representing the karmic cycle of birth and death. It culminates with a young man taking a step across the fence surrounding the entire installation to become a Buddha statue on the other side.

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