Throughout the Far East you will find gateways with guardian lions. The original purpose of these statues seems to be lost in antiquity. Perhaps, they were there to keep away evil spirits, perhaps they were there to frighten off burglars. In Thailand we find various alternatives to lions. There are the famous giants (Yak) in the King's palace complex in Bangkok and in Chiang Mai we find one temple gate is guarded by giant cockerels.
The guardians at Wat Plaeng Har are like nothing else. These giant sphinx are really scary. If their purpose is to frighten people away, they would seem to be succeeding. There appears to be few visitors to this Wat. The Bot is locked up and construction work abandoned. However, there is an alternative explanation. The nearby Doi Tao lake has dried up, the market is deserted and Wat Plaeng Har now stands on a road to nowhere.
6 Comments
Ramesh Shrestha
1/9/2016 05:31:00 pm
The two sphinxes are obviously male and female, so brilliantly indicated by a line of mustache of lack of it. They also look like more familiar Kinnarees. The winged horse certainly looks more exciting than Pegasus.
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Frank
1/9/2016 06:59:28 pm
Yoo Hoo Ramesh,
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Eric
1/10/2016 12:15:52 am
I checked the boobs first, but saw no difference, only the moustache. My wife, who has worked in a posh antique shop in BKK, says they are Burmese style, she cannot remember their name in a Thai story. I saw a picture of a similar figure, lion with human upper body, I would think, at Shwedagon Paya in Yangon.
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Frank
1/10/2016 06:56:11 pm
Yes, probably Burmese, but its been decades since I was last in the Shwedagon.
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Eric
1/10/2016 12:18:51 am
Now I saw the slightly more voluminous breasts of the female, rather local size, I may add.
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Frank
1/10/2016 06:57:00 pm
Sad but true.
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September 2016
AuthorAcharn Myloo Mimee-Mydie is a native of the North and is an expert on Lanna culture Categories |