The White Temple is the tourist name for a beautiful all white temple named Wat Rong Khun located in Chiang Rai, Thailand. The temple is easily seen from the road and the first sight of it will make you stop in amazement. There are over 33,000 temples in Thailand and I don’t think there is another one that looks anything like this temple. The photo below is the view of the temple from the local road and is the first sight that most people get of the White Temple.

The first thing that you should know is that the color white represents purity. The main temple building can only be accessed by crossing over the bridge of “the cycle of rebirth” which will allow you to enter the “Gate of Heaven”. The bridge to the temple can be seen in the following two pictures.

The first thing that you will notice when you start to walk onto the bridge is that there are lots of hands reaching up. This seems strange but the hands represent greed, temptation and desire. So the meaning of crossing the bridge is that to get to the ‘Gate of Heaven” you will have to get past greed, temptation and desire and go across “the cycle of rebirth”.

The outside of the temple is lavishly decorated. The next photos are just a sample of the decorations on the outside of the temple.

The main portion of the temple has three Buddha lined up vertically. The photo below lets you see the see these Buddha with a monk setting in front of them.

The grounds of the temple is decorated with items that are similar to the architecture of the temple building. Some of these are shown in the following photos.

At the back of the main temple is a small bridge that allows access to a small building. These two structures seem to be separate from the main temple and access to the public was restricted.

Exiting the main temple is on the side and you will pass through an arch that is just as elaborate as the temple and the rest of the items on the ground.

The main temple is amazing and unlike anything that I have seen before. The entire temple is more than the main build but most of it is not open for public access. I have included a couple of pictures of the area near the exit of the main temple building. The white theme and architecture style of the main building continues into the other areas of the temple.

The final three photos are of the main building in the temple and lets you see a last look at this unusual temple.

Visiting the White Temple really is a unique experience because it is not like anything else that I have visited. The brightness of the total white color is almost blinding and there are so many details that it is impossible to see everything.

If you are planning a trip to Northern Thailand, don’t miss the White Temple!