RT Article
T1 Moral Entertainment - The Buddhist Hell Parks of Thailand
JF Studia religiologica
VO 54
IS 3
SP 195
OP 216
A1 Husarski, Roman
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1833213890
AB Visiting Hell parks is a popular pastime in contemporary Thailand. Situated near Buddhist temples, these gruesome sculpture gardens depict the Buddhist vision of Hell. These grotesque and violent sculptures are usually seen as an oddity and a form of low art. Perhaps for this reason, they are rarely studied by scholars. This article focuses on the parks as modern entertainment. Usually found in rural areas, these spots try to answer the challenges of the commercialisation and globalisation of Thai society. A detailed analysis of four Hell parks, Wang Saen Suk, Wat Pa Lak Roi, Wat Pa Non Sawan and Wat Pa Thewapithak, shows that these religious amusement parks serve not only as means of entertainment but are also places of Buddhist morality.
K1 Buddhist art
K1 Buddhist hell
K1 Hell parks
K1 Thai Buddhism
K1 morality and religion
K1 moralność i religia
K1 piekielne parki
K1 piekło buddyjskie
K1 political science of religion
K1 politologia religii
K1 sztuka buddyjska
K1 tajski buddyzm
DO 10.4467/20844077SR.21.013.16550