Sanctuary of Truth Thailand

Legendary

Constructed entirely of wood, inside you'll find carvings of Buddhist and Hindu gods.

Photo by kizamaya

Visitors here have to wear hard hats. The building they're walking into has been under construction since 1981, and it still isn't finished.

That's partly on purpose. The Sanctuary of Truth sits right beside the sea near Pattaya, Thailand, and the salty air rots the wood, so carvers are always replacing pieces even as they add new ones.

The whole structure is made of wood, mostly teak, along with other hardwoods from Thailand's forests. Not a single nail holds it together.

Instead, the builders use ancient joinery. Beams slot into beams with wooden pegs and wedges, the same way Thai temples were put together centuries ago.

The idea came from a businessman named Lek Viriyaphant. He had made a fortune and worried that Thailand's traditional carving skills were disappearing, so he decided to build something that would keep them alive.

He laid the first beam in 1981. He died in 2000, and his family has kept the work going ever since.

The building is a mix of temple and castle, inspired by the old Thai capital of Ayutthaya. Its tallest spire rises 105 meters, higher than a 30-story building.

Every surface, inside and out, is carved. Gods, elephants, dancers, dragons, and flowers cover the walls, pillars, and ceilings, all shaped by hand.

The carvings tell stories from Buddhism and Hinduism, with details borrowed from Thai, Chinese, Khmer, and Indian art. Four great halls are dedicated to different cultures and ideas.

It's meant to be a museum of philosophy more than a place of worship. The builders call the whole thing a monument to the truths every religion shares.

Put on your hard hat and follow a guide through the four halls, looking up as much as you look ahead. Watch the carvers at work in the workshop on the grounds, where you can see a new panel taking shape. Time your visit for late afternoon, when the sun turns the wood gold against the Gulf of Thailand.