Walking into Xiangkun Temple, looking left and right, there are thousands of Buddha statues in front of you, densely spread in a large area of lush green grass, as if falling into a strange planet, into the labyrinth of Shiva and Vishnu.

Lao Liang took Zhou Sen to visit Xiangkun Temple, which gave Zhou Sen a new feeling.

"It's a real difference to be there!"

Lao Liang said: "In fact, Xiangkun Temple is not only a temple, but also many works of art, which are a collection of Buddhism, Hinduism and other gods, as well as the author's own dreams, with mysticism. ”

Legend has it that the designer of the temple, Ben Le Sulillah, is a Thai native whose hometown is across the Ten Thousand Buddhas Park, across the Mekong River in Nong Khai Province. ”

Benle Sulillah's own fate was also a bumpy one, returning to Thailand, where it is said that another Ten Thousand Buddhas Park was built, and eventually fell off his own statue and died, while the Xiangkun Monastery in Laos was preserved and eventually became a park. ”

"Being able to see Xiangkun Temple, Benle Sulila still has credit, few people will remember him now, but there are many tourists who come to visit Xiangkun Temple, most of them come to visit. ”

Xiangkun Temple is located on the bank of the Mekong River, with a wide field of vision, a gentle breeze and blooming flowers, it is a good place to escape the heat and enjoy the coolness.

Zhou Sen and Liu Dazhuang found a simple and primitive thatched hut under a big tree to enjoy the shade, with its own scenery.

"It's not very developed here, some of it is still a little primitive, and the houses look a little simple, and those of you who are used to living in big cities must be a little unaccustomed to it!" said a fellow passing by with a smile.

"Uncle, how old are you?"

The old man smiled, "I'm sixty!"

"You are welcome to come to my house to see, I have a field at home, there is fresh fruit, I can entertain you!"

Zhou Sen glanced at Lao Liang and asked for Lao Liang's opinion.

Lao Liang smiled and said: "It's okay, the fellows here are very simple and hospitable, you can follow!"

With Lao Liang's words, Zhou Sen was relieved.

"Okay, let's go to the old man's house and have a look!"

The old man took them to the house, the house was very dilapidated, just a few small thatched huts, and the living conditions were also very simple, with a rural scene.

"Sit down!" the old man brought out a few small benches for everyone to sit down, and then brought a basket of fruit to everyone.

Seeing that the old man was very hospitable, Zhou Sen was a little curious and asked the old man: "How can you speak Chinese?"

"There are overseas Chinese people who come here, I have overseas Chinese friends, my Chinese is taught to me by them, our family is very close to Xiangkun Temple, there are tourists who often come, I am also stained, tourists come, I invite them to stay at my house, tourists will also give some tips." ”

"Sometimes tourists are very generous, and they can give a lot of tips when they make a move, which is more than I can make more money by working in the fields in a year, so I think it's good to entertain tourists, and our whole family can follow the light and live a good life. ”

"Oh, I see!"

"You take it here, and after the afternoon, you will visit again, and I will make you some food!"

The old man went out to make a fire to cook, Zhou Sen asked Lao Liang, Lao Liang said: "Some farmers here are willing to give tourists directions, and are also willing to provide some farmhouse meals, and there are many houses, stay overnight, and tourists can also give more money to improve their lives. ”

After eating some peasant meals at the old uncle's house, Lao Liang took Zhou Sen to visit Xiangkun Temple, the statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, which was placed in a corner of many statues at will.

"Why do you want the Buddha statue to be placed here?" Zhou Sen was puzzled and asked Lao Liang.

Lao Liang said: "This temple does not have a hall dedicated to Buddha statues, and there are nearly 100 Buddha statues of all kinds on the large lawn, and Xiangkun Temple is also called Buddha Statue Park." ”

Zhou Sen smiled, "Oh, so that's the case, the management here is still not too strict, they are placed at random like this, and they are not neat?"

Lao Liang smiled, "Yes, these Buddha statues are relatively large, and it takes manpower to move them, and they are too heavy, so they are placed at will, and tourists can see them." ”

It's all farmhouses, some thatched huts, and it looks a little different from the temples in the big cities, but there is a sense of going back to basics, and you can see towering trees everywhere, growing luxuriantly.

"There are still some statues in this temple, let's go and have a look!" Lao Liang took Zhou Sen into Xiangkun Temple again, and this time Zhou Sen saw some Buddha statues up close.

The sculptures in the temple include Shiva, Vishnu, Arjuna, Guanyin, Buddha, and every imaginable image of a deity in Hinduism or Buddhism, and these statues, including some of the laity, were carved by unskilled craftsmen under the guidance of the patriarch.

This Buddha statue park nearly 100 Buddha statues are of different shapes, blending Buddhism and Hindu style, there are both Buddha, Guanyin statues, and statues of the three main gods of Hinduism, in the large and small Buddha statues can see the shadow of Thailand, India, Laos and other countries, the Buddha statues are all made of cement concrete, Xiangkun Temple is also known as "the miracle created by concrete".

The entrance to the park is a spherical tower, which is the famous "Heaven and Hell Tower", the locals tell that the whole tower is designed in the shape of a monkey, the entrance of the base is the face of a monkey, a big mouth can swallow the whole person, the pumpkin-shaped part in the middle is the monkey's belly, the antenna-like thing on the top of the tower represents the monkey's tail, and the round part in the middle has three layers, from low to high respectively represent hell, earth and heaven.

Inside the tower is another scene, the interior is made of yellow mud walls, like a double container with a jar on it, and the outermost is a corridor with a small window on the outer wall.

The inner circle resembles a secret room, and the walls are carved with various scenes of the world represented by this layer, and the "hell" space is small and dark, showing various scenes of torture, struggle, and fear.

If you go up the narrow staircase to the "earth", you will find scenes of farming on the wall, and various statues of gods are carved in the secret room on the top floor, which is "heaven".

It turns out that the tower is also separated by a wall, and the wall is full of some suspicious paintings and statues of human sin, which is called hell. Climb the stairs to the top floor, where a golden Buddha sits on it, signifying that you have come to heaven. On the grass in front of the garden tower, nearly 100 peculiar Buddha statues stand in a forest, which seems to be a fusion of Buddhism and Hinduism, and there is a large reclining Buddha on the outer edge, the back of the Buddha is the wall, and the front guards these Buddha statues.

You can walk through the outer corridor to the top of the tower and stand under the monkey's tail pointing high into the sky, and you can see the entire Buddha statue park.

Zhou Sen said: "I can't imagine that there is such a scene, only when I come here and see it with my own eyes, do I know that this temple has such a wonder!"

Lao Liang smiled, "Yes, only when you are immersed in the scene, you can feel differently!"