Victoria's Way
Encyclopedia
Victoria's Way, located near Roundwood
, County Wicklow
, Ireland
, is a privately owned meditation garden notable for its black granite sculptures. The 9-hectare property includes a number of small lakes and forested areas. A plaque by the entrance says the park is dedicated to cryptographer Alan Turing
.
The park is open to the public during the summer months, with an admission fee for adults.
.
Eight statues are dedicated to Ganesha
, showing the elephant god dancing, reading, and playing musical instruments. All the Ganesha sculptures were made in Tamil Nadu
, India
, and each took five craftsmen a year to make.
Other statues include a large python-shaped seat, a solitary index finger pointing at the sky, and interpretations of Buddha
, Shiva
, Eve
, and others.
Many of the sculptures include small motifs of modernity, such as a small pint of Guinness
beside a Ganesha and a mobile telephone tucked into the back of a starving Buddha.
and has lived with a number of different religious orders in Thailand, Japan, and Sri Lanka. Family inheritance allowed Langheld to spend most of his adult life travelling to spiritual sites in Asia
, before travelling to Ireland and sponsoring the construction of the sculpture park.
Langheld continues designed most of the sculptures, and continues to curate the park and welcome visitors.
Roundwood
Roundwood, historically known as Tochar , is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It was listed as having a population of 589 in the census of 2006....
, County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, is a privately owned meditation garden notable for its black granite sculptures. The 9-hectare property includes a number of small lakes and forested areas. A plaque by the entrance says the park is dedicated to cryptographer Alan Turing
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
.
The park is open to the public during the summer months, with an admission fee for adults.
Sculptures
Most of the park's statues are made of black granite, and range in height from from 1.5m to 4.9m. The first structure by the entrance is a sculpted tunnel based on the idea of vagina dentataVagina dentata
Vagina dentata is Latin for toothed vagina. Various cultures have folk tales about women with toothed vaginas, frequently told as cautionary tales warning of the dangers of sex with strange women and to discourage the act of rape....
.
Eight statues are dedicated to Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
, showing the elephant god dancing, reading, and playing musical instruments. All the Ganesha sculptures were made in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and each took five craftsmen a year to make.
Other statues include a large python-shaped seat, a solitary index finger pointing at the sky, and interpretations of Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
, Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, Eve
Eve
Eve is the first woman created by God in the Book of Genesis.Eve may also refer to:-People:*Eve , a common given name and surname*Eve , American recording artist and actress-Places:...
, and others.
Many of the sculptures include small motifs of modernity, such as a small pint of Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
beside a Ganesha and a mobile telephone tucked into the back of a starving Buddha.
Ownership
The park is owned and maintained by Victor Langheld, who was born in 1940 in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and has lived with a number of different religious orders in Thailand, Japan, and Sri Lanka. Family inheritance allowed Langheld to spend most of his adult life travelling to spiritual sites in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, before travelling to Ireland and sponsoring the construction of the sculpture park.
Langheld continues designed most of the sculptures, and continues to curate the park and welcome visitors.