ERAWAN MUSEUM

Description

Essentials about the Erawan Museum in brief

Lovers of Asian antiques should definitely make their way to the Erawan Museum, located somewhat south of Bangkok. With the museum, the Thai multimillionaire and visionary Lek Viriyapant has fulfilled a dream. In order to house his private collection of antiquities and at the same time preserve the Far Eastern religious and cultural heritage, he designed a truly extraordinary museum building in the form of a giant elephant figure. After ten years of construction, the Erawan Museum was completed in 2004.

The building and the exhibition of the Erawan Museum

Visible from afar above the trees of the park is the gigantic figure of a three-headed elephant. It represents Airavata (in Thai Erawan), the servant of the Hindu goddess Indra. The colossal copper elephant figure stands with its trunks raised in a proud posture. It is a massive 29 meters high, 39 meters long and its weight is estimated at over 150 tons.

The museum rooms of the Erawan Museum are located on two levels in the base of the elephant figure and a third in the elephant’s belly – a representation of the Buddhist concept of the universe. Inside the elephant, visitors can expect a kind of psychotrip through the Buddhist cosmos, combined with a variety of beautiful antiques.

For example, the basement represents the cosmological underworld where the mythical snakes, the Nagas, live. Those who are not so much into Buddhist symbolism can simply enjoy the rich collection of Far Eastern vases and furniture, porcelain and jade jewelry.

The level above represents the center of the Buddhist cosmos with Mount Meru. The high vaulted room with two wide sweeping staircases and four dark columns is filled with an overwhelming abundance of colorful artwork and ornaments, murals and depictions from various religions. In the center stands a golden statue of the Bodhisatva Guan Yin. The mixture of eastern and western, of ancient and modern parts is outshone by a round window on the ceiling composed of colored glass pieces.

A steep spiral staircase or an elevator in one of the elephant statue’s legs takes you to its belly. This level represents the sky above Mount Meru, where the ancient Buddha dwells. A golden Buddha figure in an intense blue shrine, eight other Buddha statues on the sides, and the subdued lighting make this part of the museum a place of devotion.

Visitors should check out not only the museum itself, but also the tropical garden that surrounds it. It is full of lush flowering plants, small streams and numerous sculptures.