Not sure if this is a new building or the complete makeover of an old one. For some reason it faces the perimeter wall (towards Pha That Luang) - away from all other buildings in the temple - & with just a few metres between its front entrance & the wall. In July 2007 it was all bare concrete, in December 2009 some progress had been made:
Emaciated Buddha on the rear gable:
At one point during his search for Enlightenment, he ate only one grain of rice (in some accounts, a leaf or a nut) a day, thinking that he could put an end to desire by fasting...only to realise that desire cannot be ended by extreme asceticism.
Main door - before (280707):
Main door - after (021209):
The dashes of white paint on the left pillar haven't changed one bit :P
An aura of whitewash:
Windows so new, the panels still clad in shrinkwrap:
Detail of window/door frames - face in the center might be a kala (
kirtimukha), a demon that has no lower jaw & body because it was told by Lord Shiva to eat itself up:
What might be the head of a
ramad with horn that looks more like an elephant's trunk?
