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Visiting Amazing Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand

Visiting Sala Keoku in Nong Khai

Visiting Sala Keoku in Nong Khai

Sala Keoku is the most popular tourist site in Nong Khai and is worth a detour if in the area. If you are staying in Nong Khai for even just one day it is a must-see. I’m almost at a loss to describe the site. It is called by many a β€˜sculpture park’ but for others it is a place of worship and meditation. One thing for sure: it is fantastical. The word that comes to mind is β€˜Burton-esque’ because some of the characters could come right out of a Tim Burton movie.

 

Visiting Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand
The entrance (20 baht entrance fees for foreigners). Right next to the entrance is this huge brick sculpture.


.

Visiting Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand

 


 

 

The creator of the park is Bunleua Sulitat. Born in 1932 in Nong Khai province, the story goes that he fell into a cave where he met a hermit called Keoku. Keoku would become his spiritual mentor (and later the namesake of Sala Keoku).

After graduating from his apprenticeship with Keoku, Sulitat took to sculpting and in 1958 built his first concrete sculpture garden in Laos (Buddha Park near Vientiane). When the Communists came to power he worried that his unorthodox views might not be accepted and crossed the Mekong to Nong Khai. In 1978 he started the construction of Sala Keoku.

 

Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

 


 

 

Sala Keoku has many sculptures, some towering 25 or so meters into the sky. Sculptures of that height aren’t unique in Thailand but it’s the style of the statues and the sheer number of them that makes this place special. Altogether there are over 100 sculptures.

 

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

 


 

 

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

 

Sourirtat’s style of buddhist and Hindu along with his eccentric style made him popular with many locals. Much of the building materials were donated and Sala Keoku became something of a religious sect headquarters.

 

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

 


 

 

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

 

 

Sulilat’s vision found its most detailed expression in depictions of the karmic Wheel of Life (present in both of his gardens). The version in Sala Keoku (pictured below) is the more elaborate of the two and mixes traditional and contemporary figures arranged in a circular pattern. It reveals the human progression from birth to death.

 

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand


 

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand
Souritat died in 1996 from complications arising from a fall from one of his own sculptures. His body resides in the main building and his followers claim his hair still grows.

 

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

sculptures at Sala Keoku. Nong Khai, Thailand

 


 

 

Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand

Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand

Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand

Sala Keoku in Nong Khai, Thailand

 


 

 

Practical Information

Getting here: About 15 -20 minutes from central Nong Khai by Tuk-tuk. Follow highway 212 heading east out of town. Sala Keoku is well indicated and is a right turn off the highway. We paid 300 baht for a tuk-tuk driver to bring us there, wait an hour, and bring us back to Nong Khai. I recommend you arrange for return transport because we didn’t see any other tuk-tuks around.

Entrance fee: 20 Baht.

Time to see the site: We took an hour but ideally we could have used an extra 30 minutes. So if you really want to explore everything thoroughly give it 90 minutes.

Facilities: Kiosques selling drinks and ice cream, souvenir stores, bathroom facilities.

 

Related: Bbqboy’s Ultimate Guide to the Best of Thailand

Related: Guide to Nong Khai

Related: People, Markets and crazy thing on wheels in Nong Khai

 

Ps. If you find our blog helpful, please consider using our links to book your flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals. Have a look at our Travel Resources page.

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Filed Under: ASIA, THAILAND

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Loredana

    May 1, 2015 at 3:34 pm

    I’ve never been to this part of the world, so I’m thankful each time I find out more about the amazing culture found here. Interesting legend regarding the body of the artist!

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      May 3, 2015 at 6:01 pm

      Thanks Lori for taking the time to comment:)

      Reply
  2. Laura

    April 21, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    Amazing place, amazing architecture, wonderful statues. Great photography.

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      April 22, 2015 at 6:05 am

      Thank you Laura πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Laura

    April 8, 2015 at 11:58 am

    Amazing place, wonderful photos.

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      April 8, 2015 at 12:07 pm

      Thank you Laura πŸ™‚

      Reply
  4. The Guy

    March 25, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    What a fabulous find of a park. Amazing statues and I love how they all seem to be smiling πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      March 26, 2015 at 9:03 am

      Thank you. We also notice many of the faces are similar, they must be related πŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. Jack

    March 25, 2015 at 4:39 pm

    Wow – looks like Jurassic Park! That 7-headed Serpent Thing is crazy looking. All totally weird but really interesting.

    Reply
  6. Josie

    March 24, 2015 at 11:35 pm

    Hi Frank,
    This is such a feast for the eyes! Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen so many awesome sculptures in one place! The snakes, the bizarre animals and adornments, that woman kneeling at the feet of the bigger dude. Wow! Thanks for totally filling up my senses!
    I must sear Sala Keoku in my memory so Conrad and I can visit this unbelievable place. Thanks for taking us there with you.
    Josie

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      March 25, 2015 at 3:33 pm

      Thanks for the great comment Josie! Yeah, that’s what we thought too. Glad you like the woman kneeling at the feet of the bigger dude πŸ™‚ You made me laugh and I told Spanky and she thought it was funny. Until I mentioned that she should be learning from that sculpture and doing the same. Now I’m stuck doing the laundry (:
      Frank (bbqboy)

      Reply
  7. Kemkem

    March 24, 2015 at 5:46 pm

    Very nice images! I wouldn’t mind seeing these, and it sounds like a reasonable price to pay.

    Reply
    • Frank (bbqboy)

      March 25, 2015 at 3:28 pm

      Thanks Kemkem – yup, 20Baht, that’s a bit less than a dollar (US). Cheaper than a chocolate bar πŸ˜‰

      Reply

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Hi! We are Frank & Lissette from Canada. We sold our home in 2014 and have been travelling the world ever since.

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