Erawan Museum: Thailand's Gargantuan Three Headed Elephant

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Since I am heading to Bangkok by tomorrow morning, I guess I should write a post on Thailand first. This time it's about the not so known place in Bangkok.
Erawan Museum, even when the name is mentioned..I guess not many have heard about this cool museum. Unknown to many Bangkok visitors, this gargantuan three headed Elephant museum is situated at Samut Prakan Province which is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan City. Weighing 250 tonnes, towering 29 meters high, and 39 meters long, this pure cast copper statue took ten years to be constructed. Inside the towering museum consists of three levels according to Buddhist cosmology. Let's take a look what's inside. Mind that the photos were all captured in the year 2008 by my old faithful Sony DSC H-1.

Beautiful lotus pond surrounding the Erawan Museum

Inside the museum, you will be greeted by lots of carvings and arts according to Buddhist Cosmology

That is the carvings depicting the Demon King Mara. In Buddhism, Mara is the demon that tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who are Mara's daughters. In Buddhist cosmology, Mara personifies unwholesome impulses, unskillfulness, the "death" of the spiritual life. He is a tempter, distracting humans from practicing the spiritual life by making the mundane alluring or the negative seem positive.

 On the left: Carving of Thai influenced Buddhist DeityOn the right: Jade Buddha Statue

That's me 4 years ago!

If you look up, you can see one huge beautiful and colorful glass art

The glass art is a mix of western and eastern design accompanied by Buddhist Cosmology theme

Beautiful carvings of Naga on Silver plate

Another interesting carvings I have accidentally stumbled upon is the silver carvings of Jesus Christ giving sermons to the people and also during his death on the cross. 

This is my favourite...very beautiful carvings of a giant fish especially its scales

One of the beautiful antiques being exhibited there

At the top, inside the belly of the Elephant is a place depicting one of the heavens in Buddhist Cosmology, the TrÄ�yastriṃśa  (Tavatimsa) heaven.
In this floor, there is a Buddha statue located here. Of course, the Lord Buddha does not dwell in this realm.
That's all for now. ! Enjoy!