<p>A dragon encircles a tower, wretched souls face torture, superheroes scale a mosaic wall -- these may seem like scenes from a half-remembered dream, but are in fact famed Thai temples.</p>.<p>The Buddhist-majority kingdom has its share of solemn worship houses and pagodas, but there are also its quirkier counterparts which double as tourist attractions.</p>.<p>In Nakhon Pathom, about an hour east from downtown Bangkok, the dragon tower inside Sam Phran temple came from the dreams of its former abbot.</p>.<p>The 16-storey jewel-pink tower, with a dragon slithering up it, symbolises the 16 levels of heaven in Buddhism mythology.</p>.<p>Its hellish counterpart is Saen Suk temple in Chon Buri province, where graphic tableaus of punishment and torture have been erected in a garden -- like an open-air dungeon for visitors to stroll through.</p>.<p>Statues of eagles rip out the intestines of wrongdoers, liars get their tongues cut off, and men who engage in pre-marital sex get their genitals stabbed with a spear.</p>.<p>"If you choose to live an unrighteous life, you'll end up like these statues," says visitor Suchart Klaoteaw, 21, as he passes other families snapping selfies with their children.</p>.<p>"We just need to be conscious about everything we do... because karma is real."</p>.<p>A more light-hearted take on Buddhism will be found at Bangkok's Priwat Ratchasongkhram temple, where worshippers can see Batman scaling a temple door and Winnie the Pooh trying to remove a beehive from a wall painting.</p>.<p>Carrying the base of the Buddha is a David Beckham statue wearing his Manchester United jersey -- a testament to the kingdom's football-crazy fans.</p>.<p>For 53-year-old Lakkana Cherlpichit, the "unique" design of Priwat Ratchasongkhram is a breath of fresh air.</p>.<p>"I really love it... we get to see characters we've never seen before at this temple," she tells AFP.</p>
<p>A dragon encircles a tower, wretched souls face torture, superheroes scale a mosaic wall -- these may seem like scenes from a half-remembered dream, but are in fact famed Thai temples.</p>.<p>The Buddhist-majority kingdom has its share of solemn worship houses and pagodas, but there are also its quirkier counterparts which double as tourist attractions.</p>.<p>In Nakhon Pathom, about an hour east from downtown Bangkok, the dragon tower inside Sam Phran temple came from the dreams of its former abbot.</p>.<p>The 16-storey jewel-pink tower, with a dragon slithering up it, symbolises the 16 levels of heaven in Buddhism mythology.</p>.<p>Its hellish counterpart is Saen Suk temple in Chon Buri province, where graphic tableaus of punishment and torture have been erected in a garden -- like an open-air dungeon for visitors to stroll through.</p>.<p>Statues of eagles rip out the intestines of wrongdoers, liars get their tongues cut off, and men who engage in pre-marital sex get their genitals stabbed with a spear.</p>.<p>"If you choose to live an unrighteous life, you'll end up like these statues," says visitor Suchart Klaoteaw, 21, as he passes other families snapping selfies with their children.</p>.<p>"We just need to be conscious about everything we do... because karma is real."</p>.<p>A more light-hearted take on Buddhism will be found at Bangkok's Priwat Ratchasongkhram temple, where worshippers can see Batman scaling a temple door and Winnie the Pooh trying to remove a beehive from a wall painting.</p>.<p>Carrying the base of the Buddha is a David Beckham statue wearing his Manchester United jersey -- a testament to the kingdom's football-crazy fans.</p>.<p>For 53-year-old Lakkana Cherlpichit, the "unique" design of Priwat Ratchasongkhram is a breath of fresh air.</p>.<p>"I really love it... we get to see characters we've never seen before at this temple," she tells AFP.</p>