Come for the three-headed elephant, stay for the history. Erawan is the Thai name for Airavata, the mythical white elephant that carries Indra, the Hindu god. The mythical creature has 33 heads, each of which has 7 tusks. For artistic sake, and for simple matter of trying to picture an elephant with 33 heads and 231 tusks, a mere three heads are used. Even with only three heads, it’s still 29 meters tall, 39 meters long, and weighs 150 tons. Oh yes, and it’s made of copper. And you can climb the inside of it to take in the symbols of the eastern cosmography in a gorgeous museum (but we’ll get to that in a minute).
Meet Lek Viriyapant. Born into an overseas Chinese family into Thailand, he went back to China to study at Shanghai University until he took over his father’s drugstore. He got married, got started in the business world, and became co-founder of a bank. This wasn’t his first creative endeavor, but it’s certainly his most well known — construction started in 1994, although he had been kicking the idea around since 1967. One odd part of the story, as is explained on-site — after an issue that brought acquiring some land to a halt, his idea was re-inspired by a foreigner that wanted to build an apple-shaped building in his home country. This apparently motivated Lek to make the statue come true on his own land, where it currently is today. Lek died on November 17, 2000, but naturally the dream — and the elephants — live on.
Before venturing inside, we first decided to meander about the Himmaphant Garden that surrounds the building. It’s a peaceful place, complete with a stream and bridges.
Some of the statues have names, although there’s little more than that on display. This is Kilane, for what it’s worth.
Sintop Kunjorn, or rather one of the figures pictured near the name.
While touristy, it’s worth remembering the spiritual nature of the place — and the lotus bud is your chance to make a wish. Supposedly, the lotus flower needs to make it all the way around the museum — if it gets snagged somewhere, that wish won’t come true. The current seemed pretty strong, and I’d give it a chance if there’s something you’re hoping to come true.
Now this was unexpected. There’s enough symbolism crammed onto one level looking up to the ceiling that it’ll take some time to take it all in. I won’t try to explain it all here, except to say that the aim is to bring together several world religions, and that the pillars are very intricately decorated.
Climb the stairs — don’t wimp out by taking the elevator! — all the way to the top, but stop a couple times along the way. The spiral staircase gets to be a bit windy, and there’s plenty to see along the way:
In case anyone wonders why the teenage boys are making a beeline here, now you know.
Once at the top — and inside the elephant’s belly — take a couple of deep breaths. There’s a lot to see, and it’s mostly gorgeous — between the soft lighting and cool colors, it’s safe to say this is one of the most serene places I’ve seen in Thailand. Plenty of statues around, naturally, but it’s easily the most reverent place in the building.
I do wish it told more of the history on-site, or at least gave a bit more context. A smaller building, partially hidden by the vendors, gives a fair bit of detail to Lek’s life (along with his family) and his dream to preserve his collection of antiques. It’s very much a tourist attraction, however — don’t be surprised to learn you’re paying an inflated price or being offered a taxi as soon as you leave.
Name: Erawan Museum (พิพิธภัณฑ์ช้างเอราวัณ)
Address: 99/9 Moo 1, Bangmuangmaim Samut Prakan, 10270 (GPS: 13.628533,100.589098)
Directions: From Bangkok’s BTS / sky train, ride it all the way east to Bearing station. Take exit 3 down to street level and jump on bus 25, 508, 511 or 536. You’ll head down straight down Sukhumvit for about 20–25 minutes, and you’ll want to get off before the major expressway you’ll see overhead. You’ll see the gigantic three-headed elephant on your left (the term ‘can’t miss it’ is applicable), so if you pass it just double back.
Hours: 8am-5pm
Admission: 300 baht for tourists, 150 baht for Thais (the claim was that with a Thai ID you could get the Thai price)
Phone: 0–2371–3135 or 0–2371–3136
Website: http://www.erawan-museum.com
