Wihaan Sadet Pho Phra Siwa (วิหารเสด็จพ่อพระศิวะ), i.e. the ‘Viharn of His
Highness Lord Shiva’ or simply ‘Father Shiva Temple’, is the name of a
Thai-Hindu sanctuary in Bangkok's Khoo Bon (คู้บอน) area, dedicated to the god
Shiva, and to a lesser extend to his affiliates, such as his shakti or consort
Parvati (पार्वती), also known as Uma (उमा), her son Ganesha (श्रीगणेश), Shiva's
second son Karttikeya (कार्तिकेय), as well as Shiva's mount or vahana (वहन),
i.e. the bull Nandi (नन्दि), of which a large statue stands in the entrance to
the main hall. The temple features several statues of Shiva and his consort in
their many different aspects, including Ardhanari (अर्धनारी), i.e. their
combined form and Nataraja (नटराज), i.e. a depiction of Shiva as the ‘Lord of
Dance’. In front of the wihaan (วิหาร) are two halls in the form of hollow
elephants, that contain a linga (लिङ्ग), symbol of masculine creative power, in
combination with a yoni (योनि, โยนี), and a statue of Lakshmi (लक्ष्मी), consort
to Vishnu (विष्णु) and goddess of beauty and fortune, as well as bas-reliefs of
Ganesha and Karttikeya, and of Uma in her different aspects and on her different
vehicles called vahana, including in her form as Durga (दुर्गा), riding her
mounts the tiger and the lion; as Mahishasuramardini (महिषासुरमर्दिनि); and as
Mahakali (महाकाली). There are also other deities from the Hindu pantheon,
including a unique statue of Brahma (ब्रह्मा) in a standing pose and of his
shakti Surasvati (सरस्वती, สุรัสวดิ); a statue of Vishnu and of his consort
Lakshmi; of Shiva's son Karttikeya, a large statue in the garden that depicts
the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, etc. Inside the main building there are also
some large statues of characters from Mahayana Buddhism, such as Kuan Yin (觀音)
and the Eight Immortals from Chinese mythology. In addition, the temple has been
expanding into the back garden displaying large carved marble statues from
Chinese-Taoism, such as the Four Heavenly Kings, that guard the entrance; Mi Le
Fo (彌勒佛), who is typically seated at the centre of the entrance and placed back
to back with a standing image of Wei Tuo (韦驮, อ้วยโท้); and a giant image of
Kuan Yin, seated on a lotus throne that tops a building which is also shaped as
a lotus flower, and flanked by her two loyal acolytes Golden Boy and Jade Girl,
who are known in Chinese as Jin Tong (金僮) and Yu Nu (玉女); as well as a number of
other Chinese-Taoist characters.
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