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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/
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Open 7 days
Opening Hours:
May 1st to September 12th
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.
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