Indian Sculpture Park

At Victoria’s Way, Roundwood, Co Wicklow, Ireland

Links How to get there Ganesh Sculptures Forest Sculptures Email Irish Independent Feature Lots of personal detail For a savvy comment see: http://www.cackaloo.com/2008/02/11/ Wicklow Daily Photo Blogspot Connected Websites How to be a Pilgrim Jnana Yoga Adam & Eve Fan club http://www.cackaloo.com/2008/02/11/

Open 7 days Opening Hours: May 1^st to September 12^th 12.30 p.m. to 18.00 p.m. Admission: Euro 2.50 per person (over 12) It takes about an hour to get around Ganesh, The Problem Solver Bring warm clothes and watertight shoes The Creation Gate The Indian Sculpture Park at Victoria’s Way in Roundwood, Co Wicklow extends over an area of some 22 acres. Victoria’s Way is a journey that guides from birth to death. Passing through the Creation Gate, the wanderer encounters 9 black granite carvings of the Hindu deity Ganesh, ‘Lord of Obstacles’. Ganesh helps the individual solve the problems encountered on the way to reaching the goal of life. The journey proper begins by entering the enchanted forest. Here the wanderer meets and interacts with 7 sculptures that symbolize the crossroads of the quest of life. They encourage the wanderer to reflect and meditate upon his or her actual state, warts and all, and on the way forward to the final goal, namely realization of the true self and the enjoyment of the reward of achievement, namely ‘the honeyed feeling’ of rapturous joy. A magnificent 15ft bronze of ‘the Buddha-to-be suppressing the urge to life’ represents the ascetic (or ‘wilderness’, or ‘Dark Night’) phase through which all wanderers pass. How it all started My name is Victor Langheld. In 1989 I had a dream, here in Roundwood. In it I saw a strange and wonderful sculpture park. The sculptures symbolized the stages of the journey from un-wholeness to wholeness, to awakening, enlightenment, fulfilment and the happiness that is the reward for complete fulfilment. I sketched the dream images and took them to India. I knew India well for I had wandered about that strange and wonderful country for more than 30 years on my quest to uncover and understand the drivers of life and death. In Mahabalipuram, near Madras in Southern India, I found 3 artisans willing to have a go at carving those strange dream images into black granite, or, where not possible, to create models that could be cast in bronze. It took 20 years for that dream to become reality. Now it’s done. So, if you’re up for it, why not come and wander about in my twilight zone … for an hour. Here you can enjoy some truly outstanding sculptures in the midst of beautiful and serene Co Wicklow countryside; or you can ponder your very personal quest for self-fulfilment and perhaps savour the joy that flows from the anticipation of its attainment.