Thai Buddhist temple & palace

The land of smiles, Thailand, is a traditional Buddhist country, so it is easy to find and visit lots of temples everywhere in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. I realized architecture style of Thai Buddhist temple is really different from that of Korea. Thai temples look so high and big, but simple, and are not much decorated and the outside is painted white. Sometimes colorful glass pieces are partly used to decorate the temples. Nice gardens are usually seen around the main buildings.

No direct flights from Korea to Nepal often made a tourist spend one or two weeks in Thailand, the land of smiles. Thai people have really the warm smiles, take things easy and are kind to strangers.

Khaosan in downtown Bangkok is a very famous area for travelers and backpackers from around the world. Tourists also enjoy the nearby Chao Phraya river flowing through the heart of Bangkok and it is a great pleasure to walk along the river. Grand Palace is close to Khaosan, which is one of the most famous attractions in all of Thailand. The picture above depicts one of the old buildings around Grand Place.

Buddhist temple

Jeogchun Sa 적천사, a Buddhist temple, located in the south of Gyeongsan 경산 was established in 664 AD and has been renovated several times. Many Buddhist monks had lived and meditated here under the great Seon masters since its foundation.

When Japanese invaded Joseon in 1664 and marched north, they burnt and destroyed this temple totally. Later this temple was rebuilt at the same site.

There are usually four statues of fierce looking guards at the gate of Korean Buddhist temple, which derive from Buddhist tradition. Buddhists believe that these mystic guards prevent devils from entering temples from four directions and protect Buddhists from devils. The picture above is about 400 year old statues at the gate of Jeogchun Sa.

You can see some small statues trampled under guards' feet. They are described as Japanese pirates. Japanese pirates had brutally plundered the towns along the southern coast of Korea for a long time, so they were regarded as another form of devils.