thorana shortie by kckongphoto pt2 ... the flasher koteya!

A Thorana is the Sri Lankan / Sinhalese word for this enormous thingy with lots of chaser lights and graphic / story panels. It is very common in Sri Lanka and is normally built for Wesak Day by monks and lay people.

This Thorana is located in Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple in Brickfields Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It has 10 panels forming a lotus base and these panels depict the life of the Buddha. There are 14,000 bulbs in these 10 panels. The 11th circular panel is that of the Buddha and contains 6,000 bulbs.

Everything is built by hand. And the cricuitry that controls the lighting effects is really something to be marvelled at. Briefly, it is in the form of a rotatiing wooden drum with copper strips nailed on in various intricate patterns. I will make and upload another video showing that stuff soon :)

This thorana will be lit every night from Wesak Day 2010 till Sunday 13th June 2010. Don't miss it!

UPDATE: Ven Hemaloke, resident monk at BMV, will be on hand to explain the workings of the flasher koteya in the evenings. You'll also be able to see the sparks in living color!!!