Wat Pha Sorn Kaew

Five white Buddhas sit in ascending size on a cliff face covered in millions of coloured mosaic fragments. Porcelain shards from across Southeast Asia — teacups, plates, tiles — cemented into spiralling walls and walkways that climb to the summit. Wat Pha Sorn Kaew in Phetchabun Province is a temple that looks like it was built by a god with a tile cutter.

Wat Pha Sorn Kaew is a contemporary Buddhist temple complex on a hilltop in the Khao Kho highlands of Phetchabun Province. The five interconnected white Buddha statues — each slightly larger than the last — face out across a misty valley. The temple's walls, paths, and balustrades are covered entirely in mosaic work using fragments of porcelain and ceramic sourced from across the region. A walking meditation path spirals up through the mosaic-covered walls to the summit platform. The temple was begun in 2004 by Phra Ajarn Anan and remains under active construction. The surrounding Khao Kho highlands — a former communist insurgent stronghold — add a layer of historical weight to the valley's visual drama.