Erawan Museum

Monumental museum crowned by a three-headed elephant statue — a unique blend of Hindu mythology and East Asian art collection south of Bangkok.

The Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok, is one of Southeast Asia's most unusual museums. Its centerpiece is a monumental three-headed elephant statue — Erawan, the divine white elephant of Hindu mythology — perched atop a richly decorated European-style building. Inside the base are elaborate exhibition halls featuring antique Chinese porcelain, bronze statuettes, and religious artifacts. Built in 1994 by businessman Lek Viriyaphan, the museum blends Eastern spirituality with Western architecture in a striking way. Visitors can take an elevator up into the interior of the elephant itself.