Wihaan Sadet Pho Phra Siwa (วิหารเสด็จพ่อพระศิวะ)

Thai. ‘Viharn of His Highness Lord Shiva’ or ‘Father Shiva Temple’. Name of a Thai Hindu sanctuary in Bangkok's Khoo Bon area, dedicated to the god Shiva, and to a lesser extend to his affiliates, such as his shakti or consort Parvati (fig.), also known as Uma (fig.), her son Ganesha, Shiva's second son Karttikeya (fig.), as well as Shiva's mount or vahana, i.e. the bull Nandi, of which a large statue stands in the entrance to the main hall (fig.). The temple features several statues of Shiva and his consort in their many different aspects, including Ardhanari, i.e. their combined form (fig,) and Nataraja, i.e. a depiction of Shiva as the ‘Lord of Dance’. In front of the wihaan are two halls in the form of hollow elephants, that contain a linga, symbol of masculine creative power, in combination with a yoni (fig.), and a statue of Lakshmi (fig.), consort to Vishnu and goddess of beauty and fortune, as well as bas-reliefs of Ganesha and Karttikeya, and of Uma in her different aspects and on her different vehicles called vahana, including in her form as Durga, riding her mounts the tiger and the lion (fig.); as Mahishasuramardini (fig.); and as Mahakali (fig.). There are also other deities from the Hindu pantheon, including a unique statue of Brahma in a standing pose (fig.) and of his shakti Surasvati (fig.); a statue of Vishnu (fig.) and of his consort Lakshmi (fig.); of Shiva's son Karttikeya (fig.), a large statue in the garden that depicts the Churning of the Ocean of Milk (map - fig.), etc. Inside the main building there are also some large statues of characters from Mahayana Buddhism, such as Kuan Yin and the Eight Immortals from Chinese mythology. In addition, the temple has been expanding into the back garden displaying large carved marble statues from Chinese-Taoism (map - fig.), such as the Four Heavenly Kings (fig.), that guard the entrance; Mi Le Fo (fig.), who is typically seated at the centre of the entrance and placed back to back with a standing image of Wei Tuo (fig.); and a giant image of Kuan Yin, seated on a lotus throne that tops a building which is also shaped as a lotus flower, and flanked by her two loyal acolytes Golden Boy and Jade Girl, who are known in Chinese as Jin Tong and Yu Nu (fig.); as well as a number of other Chinese-Taoist characters. WATCH VIDEO, see QUADCOPTER PICTURES, PANORAMA PICTURES (1) and (2), TRAVEL PICTURES (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7), as well as MAP. 回